


Room On the Third Floor

by SunshineScorpius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: A whole load of OCs - Freeform, Finding a home, Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Hogwarts Inter-House Unity, LGBT characters, M/M, Malfoy Family Feels, a lot of bullying, a shameful amount of disney references, depression and anxiety, every member of the Wotters, i'd tried for a slow burn but it's not that slow, lets talk about the unfairness and inequality that came of the wizarding world after the war, picking your family, recovery from a traumatic event
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-07-21 09:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19999408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: It's fifth-year and it's supposed to be their year. But, it wasn't. The bullying continues even with Albus' new Prefect title, and Scorpius wants desperately to make the Slytherin Quidditch team. Things don't always work out the way they planned. Tired of being treated like the bad guy, of being cast aside, of suffering due to his families actions in the war, Scorpius decides to make a stand and he's taking Albus down with him.A story of love, friendship, building a family and finding a home in a place that never felt like a home before.





	1. All Aboard the Hogwarts Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for this was birthed by an intense brainstorming interaction between me and Whats-Wizzo (tumblr) and eventually I decided that it would make a pretty good fic, so I thank her for helping me come up with this.  
> It's been a long time in the making so I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)
> 
> Completed fic to be updated regularly - 2 chapters a week :) hope ya'll enjoy!

_“This is my family. I found it all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good.” – Stitch._

_#_

Usually not all the Weasley-Potters would be at the train station every year, but this year was different. This year was James’, Louis’ and Freddie’s last year; it was Albus’, Rose’s and Little Molly’s O.W.L year; and it was Lucy’s first – the youngest Weasley and therefore the last of the grandchildren. So, _everyone_ was here. Including Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur, who hadn’t been to the station since Ginny’s last visit.

Albus loved having them all around – most of the time. But, getting here had been an absolute nightmare and he was just about fed up. Lily forgot her diary, which meant they had to go back for it. Roxanne then remembered that she just _had_ to have her scrunchie that matched her Hufflepuff robes and tie, which was now tied around her fiery red ponytail. Then, lastly, Hugo held them up because he forgot his wand at home, meaning Hermione had to take him through the floo back home and then back to The Burrow so they could take off. It was, all in all, a complete disaster.

Now, on the platform, was no different. Percy and Audrey were talking to Lucy and Molly, telling Molly to look after her little sister no matter what. Lucy was freaking out, scared she'd be put in the same house as Molly - she and Albus were the only snakes of the family. But, little Lucy was the furthest thing from a Slytherin. Albus had no doubts her brilliant brain would wind her up in the same house as Louis - Ravenclaw. Molly was rolling her eyes at her dad, clearly fed up of the conversation. Albus was considering going to save her, happy to argue with anyone who talked shit about his house, when his Aunt Fleur approached him with a wide smile and a bone-crushing hug.

After what happened last year, his family have been trying to make him feel more involved. Albus appreciated it, truly. And he did feel less of an outcast now. He and Scorpius accepted Molly into their duo once they realised she hated being Slytherin royalty and preferred less suffocating friends. She didn't hang out with them much, but occasionally ate with them at dinner or chilled with them in the common room. His family tried so hard, in fact, that Scorpius was even allowed around to The Burrow for Albus' birthday during the summer, in which they accepted him with open arms. That made Albus feel proud to be a Weasley-Potter. He may have a lot to say about them, but they are fiercely loyal and welcoming.

He ducked out of his Aunt Fleur’s hug and walked briefly away from the suffocating family presence to look for the only person he wanted to see right now. When he never spotted the familiar blond hair in the crowd, he sighed.

“He’ll be here, Albie,” Dominique sang from his side, nudging him slightly with her shoulder. Albus glared at her. “Ah, the famous Albus glare, what did I do to deserve that?” She joked.

“I _know_ he’ll be here, Domi,” Albus replied, ignoring her quip.

“Going into sixth year, turning seventeen in a month and I still get called Domi. What in the world did I do to deserve that?” She huffed, pouting her lips.

Albus grinned. “You sure seem to think you don’t deserve a lot of things,” he joked.

She feigned shock. “Please, the Albus glare _and_ being called Domi in one go. I feel utterly privileged,” the sarcasm in her tone was duly noted. Albus couldn’t help but shake his head and roll his eyes, despite the grin still on his face. Domi was always cracking jokes. There wasn’t a serious bone in her body.

“It’s not my fault your parents gave you a stupid na – a… ignore me,” Albus finished, realising his name was way stupider. Hers was pretty normal in France anyway. Domi laughed and shoved his shoulder, a little too harshly than needed but it was well received.

“See you on train, little cuz,” she ruffled his hair and walked towards the train, picking up a group of other Gryffindors on the way. Just like the rest of his cousins, she was loved fiercely by her house.

“I’m only a year younger than you!” He shouted after her, and all he got in response was the back-end of her laugh. Albus rolled his eyes.

He went to turn back to his parents to say a final goodbye when a pair of arms stopped him, wrapping around his neck. The sweet smell of Pepper Imps and old books graced his senses as Scorpius flung himself at him. Albus hugged him back just as fiercely when he finds his footing, realising then just how much he’d missed his best friend.

Scorpius finally pulled away, his eyes growing wide in revelation as he spots Albus already in his robes (a shock in itself) and a shiny badge clipped to the one side.

“Are you shitting me?” Scorpius gasped.

“Scorpius, language,” Draco Malfoy scolded as he came up behind him.

“Sorry dad,” he apologised, not sounding sorry at all. Draco just shook his head at his son and politely greeted the rest of the Potter-Weasley’s. “Prefect? How did you make prefect?”

“You don’t need to sound so shocked,” Albus said, pouting slightly.

“I’m not shocked - well I am a little - but I’m proud. I thought after last year neither of us would have a chance.” Just to show how proud he was, Scorpius hugged him again. Albus welcomed it with open arms.

He had only seen him once over the summer, which was a shock to the system considering they spent every second of every day with each other at school. Even at night they would be next to each other. It started not long after their return from time, and Scorpius slowly opened his curtains one night. He’d been crying hard, his breathing still uneven. He held his stuffed Niffler tight to his chest, hugging it as though it was the only source of comfort he had.

“Al?” He whispered in a tone so broken it destroyed Albus’ heart. He sat up quick, ready to hex whoever had caused him to cry. “This is going to sound really stupid and you can say no but I can’t sleep, and I don’t want to be on my own,” he spoke through ragged breaths, seemingly struggling to get the words out.

Albus hadn’t even hesitated, he just grabbed his arm and pulled him down on the bed. He moved over as much as he could, but they were two growing boys sharing a single bed, so inevitably were touching shoulders. They stared up at the ceiling for a long time, neither knowing what to say. Though it never felt weird, it felt right. Albus wasn’t a fan of sleeping alone either, especially since his dreams were clouded with Scorpius’ tortured screams and Delphi’s cackles. It was a comfort to wake up and see his best friend sleeping and unharmed.

So, they carried it on, to a point where it happened almost every night.

“Hey, Scorpius,” the flirty tone of his cousin Molly snapped Albus out of his thoughts. It seemed nearly every one of his cousins had developed a crush on Scorpius over the summer. They'd been all over him that day he joined them for Albus' birthday. They all wanted him on their Quidditch team, even Freddie who kept winking at him. Though, Albus suspected that was to make him feel uncomfortable and awkward, that was Freddie's way. Albus wasn’t blind, in fact he was very aware of Scorpius’ sudden hotness that he’d acquired over the summer. He’d had a growth spurt, now putting him a whole head taller than Albus. His face had chiselled out, taking away his previous baby-face. The thing was, they all liked Scorpius now. Albus liked him before all that.

“Oh, hey, Molly,” he greeted, oblivious to the flirting. Scorpius was like that, he didn’t often pick up on subtle social cues. Not that Molly was being all that subtle. Albus rolled his eyes and nudged her, but she only smiled cheekily at him.

“You’re joining the Quidditch team this year, right?” She asked, batting her eyelids. Albus was almost sick.

“I was thinking about trying out, yeah,” he confirmed.

“Good, because we lost our seeker last year and I’ve seen you on a broom, we could use you. Plus, I want to kick James and Freddie’s ass this year. See if they feel so high and mighty when they lose the Quidditch cup their last year,” she giggled to herself, looking behind her at James and Fred and grinning wickedly.

“I’ll do my best,” Scorpius promised. She winked at him and ran a hand down his arm before stalking off for the train.

Albus rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said, gesturing for the train. Scorpius nodded and said a quick goodbye to his dad before jogging after him.

“Are you excited for this year?” Scorpius asked, narrowly dodging an owl that had escaped from it’s cage followed by a small first year running after it.

“O.W.L year? Are you kidding?” Albus replied as they stepped on the train. Scorpius went first, then turned and walked backwards to face Albus as they made their way through the carriage.

“No, _our_ year! This year we can broaden our horizons! Make new friends, join new clubs! You’re a prefect, I’m going to be on the Quidditch team! This year will be the best year ever!” He flung his arms to the side and accidentally whacked his hand on the glass. Albus laughed and shook his head as Scorpius rubbed his sore hand. A glimpse at his hand told Albus it had already gone red; why was he so prone to injury? Honestly, Albus worried about him playing Quidditch this year.

“If people could get over the whole hating us thing first,” Albus pointed out.

“Just a minor issue,” he said, trying his best to grin even though Albus knew he really wanted to sigh.

Polly Chapman stormed past them both, knocking Albus into Scorpius who fell back into the wall with a loud bang. “Maybe a major one,” he sighed, helping Albus to stand properly and brushing off imaginary dirt from his shoulder. Scorpius even straightened his tie and robes out for him. Albus looked up, only realising then how close they were standing. Their eyes met for a moment and all Albus could feel was his warm breath and his hands on his shoulders. Every touch was amplified, firing through him and igniting his senses. Albus' own hands were still on Scorpius' chest, and he could just feel his rapid heartbeat through his shirt, beating in sync with Albus' own.

At the same time, they coughed awkwardly, breaking whatever the hell that just was.

“Will you be okay without me?” Albus asked, willing the blush from his cheeks. Scorpius’ face dropped, as if he’d only just realised that Albus would be spending most the train ride in the prefects’ compartment and on rounds. He’d maybe get to join him later, but that depends on his assigned job.

“Oh – erm – yeah,” he said.

Albus clasped his shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze. “Well, I have to go then, but you’ll be fine.” He tried to assure. Scorpius was nodding his head way too fast and breathing fairly heavily. Albus knew that look – he was trying to calm his anxiety, his thoughts that raced through his brain. Scorpius was brilliant, truly, but having a brain that moved faster than he could process meant he lost himself to his head sometimes. “You will be, Scorp.”

“We’ve never spent a train journey apart,” he whined. Albus squeezed his shoulders again and began walking backwards away from him.

“Our year remember! Time to make some friends!” He shouted back to him.

“I don’t know how! We were supposed to do this together,” he pouted. Albus tried the shake the thought of how _damn_ adorable he looked when he looked at him like that. It made him wish he wouldn't, because Albus could hardly bare leaving him when he was so distressed.

“We will! At Hogwarts,” he promised before turning away completely and heading towards the prefects compartment. He knew Scorpius would be fine, he always is. That didn’t mean he didn’t worry - a lot. The bullies were always worse to him, especially when he was alone. Albus vowed to get back to him as soon as possible.

Most of the other prefects were already there when Albus arrived, aside from the ones helping out the first years outside to make sure no one gets left behind. James looked up when he entered and beamed, causing his square glasses to rise up his eyes slightly.

“Hey, Al,” he greeted. James had made Head Boy by some miracle. He hadn’t shut up about it since the letter came. Freddie was gutted, he wanted that badge too. Albus smiled and sat down next to Molly.

“Scorpius looked hot today,” she said by way of greeting. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Leave him alone, Mol, he doesn’t even realise you’re flirting with him,” Albus said, desperate for his cousin to back off. Opposite them, Rose snorted.

“He will soon enough. Imagine it, we’d be a power couple.” She clung onto Albus’ arm, dreamily staring off into the distance.

“That’s if he’s still not hung up over Rosie,” James butted in, nudging Rose with an elbow.

“He’s not,” Albus and Rose said at the same time, both rolling their eyes. Albus was reminded of why they were such good friends when they were children. Part of him ached for that friendship back, and they were working on it slowly. Scorpius had told him he was over Rose over the summer, claiming he liked the idea of Rose more than actually _liked_ her. He did say, however, that he admired her grace and fierceness.

“My door is open then,” Molly grinned wickedly. Albus felt a pang of jealousy run through him. Scorpius was _his_.

He pushed the feeling away, not prepared to dwell on what it meant. Albus wasn’t stupid or dense, he knew exactly what it meant. It meant he liked boys, and more specifically, he liked Scorpius. He wasn’t sure at which point he was stupid enough to fall for his best friend. He did know, however, that it was definitely _before_ the summer. Albus fell for the geeky, awkward boy he was. Actually still is, Scorpius hadn’t grown into his limbs just yet. He was tall, yes, but also skinny and awkward and most the time didn’t know what to do with his extra-long limbs he’d now acquired. Hence why he had so many bruises all the time, he just wasn’t quite accustomed to his body yet.

But, more to the point, Albus liked him _before_ all his cousins decided to pounce. Molly was the most obvious, but he hadn’t missed Domi’s side glances and Lily and Roxy’s giggles. Even Rose was taking more of an interest than usual, despite how adamant she is that she’d never go for him. Thankfully, Lucy was too young to be thinking about that – or so Albus hoped.

Albus was snapped from his jealous reverie when James clapped and stood up, followed by a sharp “right!” Albus looked around, taking in all the new faces. He knew the faces of the Slytherin prefects, however the other were nameless faces. As James rattled on about the importance of being a prefect, Albus let his thoughts drift away. The Head Girl – Corey Adams, Hufflepuff – sat and let him talk, occasionally rolling her eyes at his dramatic antics. Albus could relate to that on a spiritual level.

When James finally sat down – really his need to stand was taking it overboard – Corey started handing out the jobs. “We’ll have sixth years on duty to take the firsts from the Great Hall to the common rooms and explain all that, sevens, including me and James will round all the first years for the boats and help in that area. Fifths, you can be on train duty. Albus,” - Albus’ head shot up at his name – “you can be on the first round with…” she trailed off and looked down at her clipboard. “Jennifer Clearwater,” she concluded.

Albus nodded and stood up. A girl with long blonde hair stood too, the ends curling at her waist. She was clad in Hufflepuff robes, and sent Albus a sweet smile when they locked eyes. He returned it and from first instinct, he knew this round wouldn't be that awful.

“An hour and a half, up and down the train making sure everyone’s okay and no ones getting into the trouble, then report back to us. We’ll send the next two off and you’ll be free,” Corey explained as Albus and Jennifer nodded along. She waved them on their way and James clapped his shoulder on the way past.

The two left the compartment and walked down the carriage, checking in different compartments making sure everyone was okay.

“I’m Albus, by the way,” he introduced, figuring this was a good place to start in making friends. He wondered how Scorpius was doing. At least he’ll be able to check on him after he’d finished this round. He might even see him during the round and would be able to check up then.

“Jenny,” she responded, smiling sweetly at him. She had a funny accent that Albus couldn’t quite place.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around,” he rubbed the back of his neck, hoping not to sound too intrusive.

“I don’t suppose you would have,” she chuckled. “I transferred over the summer from Ilvermorny, most my friends didn’t like the fact I was moving to Hogwash, but the parents split, and mom wanted to move home.” That explained the funny accent then.

“Hogwash?” Albus repeated in an amused tone. “Don’t let anyone else hear you say that, we’re very protective of our rep.” He held his chin high in pride. She chuckled along with him. “What house were you in?”

“Pukwudgie.” Albus burst out laughing.

“Do all your houses have funny names?” He asked, wiping a tear from his eye. She rolled her eyes, but the grin on her face suggested she was finding the whole thing amusing too.

“Pretty much,” she confirmed.

“Can you imagine if the Hogwarts founders had, like, really boring last names? ‘There are four houses, Smith, Brown, Small and Jones, welcome to Hogwarts!’” He mimicked McGonagall the best he could, which really was a poor effort. He couldn’t even do a Scottish accent.

“What was that?” Jenny asked through giggles, one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach.

“My attempt at Headmistress McGonagall,” he explained shamefully, knowing the poor effort he put in.

“That was poor, dude!” She shook her head as Albus pouted.

The rest of their prefect round was spent pretty much the same. They laughed about stupid things and Albus was surprised at how easy it was to get along with her – even though they’d only just met. They never came across anyone causing any trouble, and the first years seem to be content. Albus hadn’t seen Scorpius, but there had been an empty compartment with his things in there and guessed he’d just popped to the loo. Probably to change into his robes.

When they reported back, Corey thanked and dismissed them, sending off the next two.

“This is the fun part where I try and insert myself into social groups that have already been formed,” Jenny said, sighing to herself.

“You can join me and my best friend if you want? He won’t mind, in fact he’ll love it. And you’ll love him. He’s a bit of a geek and talks a lot if you let him, but he’s kind,” Albus finished. Jenny was looking at him with a face he couldn’t quite decipher. But eventually, she smiled.

“That’ll be great, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” he smiled.

They made small talk as they walked through the carriage, eventually finding the one Scorpius was hiding in. Literally hiding. He had changed into his uniform, but had his robes over him like a blanket, covering all up to his face. His blond hair peeking through the top. He wasn’t asleep, he was reading underneath the robes.

He shot up when he heard the carriage door open, then settled and smiled when he saw the intruder was only Albus. His smile, however, was weak. Albus spotted the tear stains on his cheeks straight away, his swollen red eyes accentuated against his pale face.

Panic and anger set in straight away.

“Scor, what’s wrong? What did they do?” He asks, rushing over and grabbing his face his hands. He inspected him closely, making sure there’s nothing like broken bones or hexes that have been thrown around. Albus wipes his tears away gently and Scorpius weakly smiles again.

“Oh you know, just the usual. Calling me Voldemort's son and telling me my mum deserved what she got,” he smiled weakly, trying to play it off like a joke, but Albus knew they always got to him more than he’d ever admit. “It’s fine, Al, I’m okay,” he assured. Albus nodded and took the seat opposite him. “Oh, hello,” Scorpius greeted once he spotted Jenny standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“Right, sorry! Scor, this is Jenny. Jenny, this is my best friend, Scorpius,” Albus introduced. Scorpius beamed like he always did when he meets new people (he says the best way to make friends is a big smile – and sweets!)

“Hi,” Scorpius spoke again, putting his book down and holding his hand out to Jenny.

“Nice to meet you,” she responded, shaking his hand. Jenny then took the seat next to Albus, smiling gently at Scorpius. 

“Oh, you’re from America? Did you go to Ilvermorny? I nearly went there too because mum and dad wanted me to be able to start fresh in a place not many people knew my name, but I begged them to let me come here. They did, of course, in the end otherwise I wouldn’t be here, but I wanted to come here because they came here, and they told me all these great stories and-”

“Scor,” Albus interrupted.

Scorpius cut himself off and turned to Albus. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” Albus nodded. “Sorry, I tend to talk and not be able to stop myself,” he sighed and hung his head.

“That’s okay!” She assured, causing Scorpius to look up again. There was hope in his big grey eyes and Albus couldn’t help but smile at him. He looked adorable like that. “I don’t mind rambling. But, yes, I did go to Ilvermorny. Mum came here though, she was in Ravenclaw. Actually, you look like someone she used to go to school with, a few years younger than her though.”

Scorpius glanced at Albus, giving him a ‘here we go’ look before curling in on himself, wrapping his robes around him again. Albus wondered if he was cold or if he was doing it as a comfort thing. It was amazing, really, how small Scorpius could get himself when he was all arms and legs. When it didn’t seem like Scorpius was going to respond, Albus decided to step in for him. Jenny was getting more confused and worried the longer the silence dragged on.

“His father is Draco Malfoy, your mum probably knew him,” Albus explained.

“She knew of him, but she had graduated and moved to America before the war started properly.” She looked at Scorpius with a hint of worry in her eyes and leaned in close to Albus. “Did I say something wrong?” She whispered.

Albus shook his head. “No, just people tend to judge him on his father before they get to know him, and because his dads an ex-Death Eater, people aren’t very nice to him.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” she sighed. She got up from her place next to Albus and sat next to Scorpius instead. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder causing him to flinch slightly and Albus cringed. Scorpius didn’t like being touched, not unless it was by him.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” she spoke softly. “It doesn’t seem fair people judge you before they get to know you. I won’t do that,” she promised. Scorpius lifted his head to look at her and smiled. He looked so vulnerable right there and then that Albus wanted to run over and hug him until all his doubts faded away.

“Thank you,” he said. She nodded and moved back to where she was sitting before.

The rest of the train journey passed with ease. Scorpius eased back into Jenny’s presence and eventually the three of them were laughing over seemingly nothing. Lily had popped in for a short moment to talk to Scorpius about a new book she discovered and knowing Scorpius would have probably already read it (she was right) she wanted to indulge in the way it made her feel. Scorpius was just as thrilled, and Albus and Jenny watched them in amusement about how they gushed over the main character (Albus didn’t miss Scorpius side-note about how he was a boy).

Scorpius had never officially come out to Albus, but he started talking in broader terms. When talking about dating, he would never specify a gender anymore, and he would often use male pronouns when talking about a crush he might have. Those crushes never went anywhere. Usually, he just explained how he thought they were attractive. Because of that, Albus never officially came out either. But, he did the same thing. They had had more conversations over the past few months about how hot they found Thomas Carlisle (Chaser of the Chudley Cannons) than they had about any girl they knew.

That did not mean, however, that Scorpius returned Albus’ feelings. And Albus never wanted to confess in fear of ruining what they had. It would be pretty impossible, but the fear was still there. So, Albus kept quiet and if – _if_ – Scorpius felt the same, then he didn’t mention it either.

When the train pulled up to the station, Albus was glad. The journey had felt incredibly longer than usual, and he was getting tired and hungry. Now, all he had to do was sit through the sorting before they could eat, and then he could sleep!

“Hey, Al!” Scorpius spoke, catching up slightly from where he got caught behind on the train. “Just a warning, the Thestrals,” his eyes were wide with worry, as though mentioning the creature would send Albus into a panic. He wasn’t far off. But, he was sort of prepared. Over the summer, he had spoken to his dad properly about the events of fourth year and he had explained all about the Thestrals and what they would look like. Mostly he assured them that weren’t dangerous, or even that scary. They were quite kind.

“It’ll be fine, Scor,” he assured. Scorpius nodded slowly. Albus thought he was prepared, but seeing the thing up close brought back all the memories of his dead classmate. It wasn’t fair what happened to Craig. It was cruel and unforgiving. Albus struggled with sleeping most nights because of it. Scorpius came up beside him and took his hand in comfort.

“I think they’re beautiful,” he said. Albus disagreed.

“What are?” Jenny asked, coming up on Albus’ other side. Scorpius tugged on Albus’ hand and guided him into the carriage, Jenny followed.

“Thestrals. They can only be seen by people who have seen death, or understand it,” he explained. They would be covering the creature that year in magical creatures class.

“And you both have?”

They shared a look. Scorpius coughed awkwardly and nodded. “I have since third-year after-" he cut himself off, unable to say the next words. "And we have some- we were involved in a horrible event last year which resulted in a boy named Craig dying.” Albus was glad Scorpius used his name, he didn’t want him to be the nameless faceless ‘sixth-year Slytherin prefect’. He deserved better than that.

“That’s awful,” she gasped.

“We’re not really ready to talk about it, but you might hear rumours around the school,” Scorpius explained. Albus started pinging the elastic band around his wrist off his skin. “Just know that whatever you hear is probably a rumour, but if you do hear anything alarming, just ask us and we can sort it out,” he continued.

Upon hearing the slapping of the elastic band against Albus’ skin, Scorpius placed a hand over his wrist to stop the action. Albus mumbled an apology, but Scorpius just smiled weakly. He knew how he felt. He did the same thing with biting his lips until they bleed. They were both trying to get the other out the habit.

“Sounds like you guys have had a pretty rough time here,” she said, looking at them with sympathy.

“You could say that,” Scorpius replied, shrugging.

They parted ways with Jenny at the Great Hall, who took her seat at the Hufflepuff table with the other prefects who had been at the meeting. At least she had someone to go to. Albus and Scorpius sat at the Slytherin table, joined by Molly a little later on. They sat through the sorting, Molly’s sister Lucy was sorted into Ravenclaw, where Louis had been sorted seven years ago.

As they did every year, they stuffed themselves with the welcome feast. They could barely walk on their way to the dungeons, leaning on each other for support. They showered at the time same (in separate cubicles, obviously!) and emerged at the same time. Lazily, they changed into their pyjamas and all but collapsed on Albus’ bed. They closed the curtains around them and lay on their sides facing each other. They mostly complained about how full they were, regretting that last Cauldron cake.

“Can I stay here tonight?” Scorpius asked, voice timid. Albus was beginning to think he’d never ask and would just get out of bed and sleep in his own. That would have been strange.

“Of course you can,” Albus replied easily. Scorpius beamed at him, before his face turned to shock at a realisation. He scrambled out of bed to his own. Albus heard the drawing of curtains and was beginning to think Scorpius was just going to abandon him, when he popped back through the curtain and closed them, cuddling a toy Niffler to his chest.

Nugget the Niffler, Scorpius’ most prized possession. No one but Albus knows he has it, and that he has to sleep with it every night otherwise he can’t sleep (sometimes that doesn’t even do the trick). Nugget was given to him by his mum when he was born, and he’s never been able to let it go. It was in good nick considering it was nearly sixteen-years-old.

“You know, it was weird at home, not having you there,” Scorpius mused once he’d settled back down.

“Yeah, it was weird for me too,” Albus agreed.

“I hardly sleep at home, it’s just harder.”

“You can floo call me, you know? If you ever can’t sleep,” Albus reminded.

“At four in the morning? You’d miss it, your floo is downstairs and you sleep in the attic,” Scorpius pointed out, rolling his eyes. “It is why you get so many letters that have been sent in the early morning, Peacock must hate me.”

“I can’t believe you named your owl Peacock,” Albus laughed.

“I was four!”

“You named an owl after a different bird!”

“Four, Albus! Four.”

They both fell into laughter easily, knowing it was a ridiculous name. Eventually, they were laughing at nothing at all, but their stomachs hurt, and both could barely breathe. It was like that between them: easy. It always had been. When they faded down to slight chuckles, their eyes met again. Emerald green on stormy grey. Albus loved the colour of Scorpius’ eyes. They were so unique and warm, oddly welcoming. They could light up the entire room and they lit up every aspect of Albus’ life.

Scorpius yawned, but fought to keep his eyes open and Albus let himself believe it was because he was just as lost in Albus’ eyes and he was in Scorpius’. It was harmless thinking, he hoped. They eventually drifted off, lying on their sides and facing each other. When Albus woke from a nightmare, it was a relief to have Scorpius there and know he was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanart by secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr)! Thank you!!
> 
> Just so you all know, I would die for Molly Weasley Junior. Also, hope you all liked Jenny, the first OC in this fic with a lot more to be introduced soon!
> 
> Thank you for reading! Next chapter on Thursday!
> 
> Kudos and Comments welcome :)  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	2. Hide and Seeker

The first day back to classes were always a struggle, no matter how much of a morning person you are. Scorpius was a morning person, he loved the mornings. Watching the sun come up – a difficult feat down in the dungeons – was one of his favourite pastimes. Watching the orange hue settle throughout the country, birds singing, grass shining with dew, the gentle sounds of people rousing. It was peaceful, picturesque, calm. Though, he loved them so much because mornings meant the night was over which was always a relief. The nights were always a struggle to get through.

At the Slytherin table, Albus was still half asleep. He’d had a pretty bad night full of tossing and turning, bad nightmares clouding his brain. Not even Scorpius taking his hand was enough to calm him. When he finally settled for longer than an hour, it was time to get up for the day. Scorpius had woken him gently, but still got the brunt of his morning grump. He’d got over it now and had decided to lay his head on Scorpius’ shoulder to ‘rest his eyes’, which is what Scorpius’ father always says and ends up fast asleep for two hours on the sofa.

“Hey guys, mind if I join?” Scorpius lifted his head up (no, he wasn’t staring at the top of Albus’ head) to meet Jenny, dressed in her Hufflepuff robes and a wide smile. She looked well put together considering how early it was. She must have been a morning person too.

“Be our guest,” Scorpius replied, gesturing to the other side of the table. He picked up a piece of toast from his plate and began buttering it, before slathering jam over the butter. He tried to keep his left arm still as to not to disturb Albus, but it was difficult considering Scorpius was left-handed. “Can I take it that you sitting with us means the making friends plan didn’t go so well?” Scorpius asked, ready to feel second-hand heartbreak. He knew just how hard it was to make friends.

Jenny shook her head. “It went fine, the girls in my dorm are really nice, but they’re still up there and I was hungry. Plus, I liked hanging out with you guys.” She started filling her plate up with food, piling things on top of each other which made Scorpius grimace slightly. He loved food, but separately. Not a single piece of food on his plate touched, especially the beans. Jenny, however, was actively placing the beans on top of everything else.

Scorpius nudged his shoulder to disturb Albus, who replied with a growl. Jenny giggled and Scorpius rolled his eyes. “Don’t mind him, he’s grumpy in the mornings.”

“Not grumpy,” Albus mumbled, pulling his head off Scorpius’ shoulder. Anyone would think there’s an anchor weighing him down with how dramatic he’s being.

“Sure, Albie. Am I going to get a tea anytime soon?” Scorpius asked. It was their tradition, Scorpius gets them a plate of food and Albus makes them a hot drink. Though, he’d been slacking on his duties. Scorpius would make his own, but Albus makes them so much better. He got the sweetness just perfect and the correct amount of milk. Scorpius always seemed to make it too milky.

Albus – again – grunted in response, but lazily grabbed two mugs.

“Would you like a tea?” Scorpius asked Jenny.

She shook her head, “More of a coffee girl myself.” Albus grabbed another mug and started making her a coffee.

“Albus doesn’t like tea either, though he makes the best ones. I think coffee is rather bitter, I think that’s why Albus likes it so much,” Scorpius grinned so widely his nose scrunched up in no doubt an ugly way as Albus glared at him.

“Tea is too sweet, that’s why you like it so much," he retorted, forcing a bite to his tone that didn't mean anything.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. “Is that… is that supposed to be an insult…?”

Albus rolled his eyes at him and nudged his shoulder. “Let me have it, it’s early,” he yawned, resting his head back on his shoulder. Scorpius smiled fondly, wrapping his hands around his mug, trying to stop them shaking. They shook often these days. The healers told him it was an aftereffect of the Cruciatus Curse. Sometimes - mainly at night after an horrific nightmare - his muscles clenched up and the pain shot through him restlessly. Just the thought of it made Scorpius want to crawl up into a ball and cry. 

He went to pull his mug to his lips, the heat would be a welcome distraction from those thoughts, but his hand cramped moments after lifting the mug, causing him to loosen his grip. The mug fell the few centimetres back onto the table, luckily staying upright and only a small amount of tea splashed over his hands. Scorpius pretended as though nothing happened, despite Jenny's curious eyebrow rise which asked him if he was okay. Scorpius nodded and cleaned the small mess up hastily. He didn't realise until after that Albus had pressed a hand to his thigh, a silent gesture telling him that he was safe and alive and unharmed. Scorpius felt a wave of affection soar through him. He looked down at the top of Albus' head and resisted the urge to place a gentle 'thank you' kiss there. Albus would no doubt go running for the hills.

“Ugh!”

The sudden slamming of books on the table startled Scorpius out of his dangerous thoughts. As well as Albus, who jumped up from Scorpius' shoulder like he was doing something wrong. Molly sat down next to Jenny and started making herself a coffee.

“You’ll never guess what I have first thing this morning.” Scorpius was about to answer, but she continued. “Divination. Divination first thing on a Monday morning? What kind of cruel person does that? I should have listened to Aunt Hermione and never taken it.” She angrily stabbed a sausage.

“Oh hey, I have divination first, too,” Jenny said, turning slightly to face her. Molly’s face lit up as she realised that she was sitting next to someone who actually wanted to be sitting with her cousin and his dorky best friend. “I’m Jenny, by the way,” she held her hand out.

Molly beamed and shook it. “Molly Weasley, Albus’ cousin. You any good?”

“I think I’m alright.”

“Partners? Hardly any Slytherins take it and well, yeah,” she finished lamely. Molly was quite popular in their year, being on the Quidditch team and all. But, even though she has a lot of friends, she prefers being alone. If Molly Weasley doesn’t like you, she won’t put up with you for the sake of it. Scorpius admired her for that. She was quite fierce in her own right. Scorpius was actually quite glad Molly and Jenny seemed to like each other, because Molly joined them more often than not and Scorpius hoped Jenny would be around more often.

Friends. He had friends. More than just Albus. Albus was great, and if he had to he would spend the rest of his Hogwarts years alone with him. But friends were nice too.

Jenny agreed to be Molly’s partner and they started chatting about something to do with divination that neither Albus or Scorpius understood. They had never even considered taking that; they were much more interested in Care of Magical Creatures, which they had first that morning. They differed in their second choice, however, where Scorpius elected for ancient runes and Albus for muggle studies.

For a while, Scorpius chose three electives, taking muggle studies with Albus. However, this year their potions professor – Professor Reus – had offered him an opportunity he could not refuse. She had offered to let him join the Advanced Potions sixth-year class to learn half the syllabus, then next year join the seventh-years and sit his N.E.W.T Advanced Potions a year early. It would be a lot more work and double the potions lessons this year, but he quite liked potions. The reason she had offered was because Madame Pomfrey was offering to take him up part-time in the hospital wing in his seventh year to teach him basic healing spells in order to give him a head start because he was planning to apprentice at St Mungos following graduation.

It was an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. So, he’ll have a bit of extra work now, but that was worth the outcome in the end. He had nearly cried when Professor Reus and Madame Pomfrey pulled him aside at the end of last year and offered the opportunity to him. He had no idea how they knew he wanted to be a healer, but he guessed it was because of an event that happened at the end of fourth-year.

Scorpius went to watch the last game of the season – unfortunately without Albus – between Slytherin and Ravenclaw (Ravenclaw won, but only because they never got caught out on their very obvious foul). They knocked Slytherin’s seeker from her broom, pretty harshly. It was a bad fall and almost all the Slytherin’s ran to the pitch. Someone went to get Madame Pomfrey, but she would take too long. Scorpius took it upon himself to perform a few healing spells he’d learned from the St Mungos healers when his mum was a patient. Pomfrey says it saved her life.

The seeker quit Quidditch. She had a scholarship for Puddlemere United ready following her graduation, but declined it after the incident. Scorpius couldn’t really blame her.

The idea of Quidditch made him nervous. The Slytherin try-outs were that evening. They were down a few players and wanted to train their new ones as much and as fast as possible. If Molly hadn’t put the idea of trying out into his head during the summer, he almost definitely wouldn’t have. Sure, the thought had crossed his mind, but only as a distant dream. He loved Quidditch, but he was far too skinny and wiry to be any good. Except at seeking, which required the kind of stealth and speed he could acquire on a broom.

But that wasn’t what he was worried about. Even after saving last years seeker, people still never liked him. He was mostly scared he’d become a target on the pitch. He knew his own house would protect him as best they could, but they could only do so much. Ravenclaw caused enough trouble last year, and that was before Scorpius was on the team.

That’s if he even made it on the team, that is.

There was a chance – and he thought about this more often than not – that the team’s captain, Fletcher Adams, wouldn’t accept him purely for his name. Scorpius was well disliked. He knew that. Everyone knew that. It was common knowledge. In his second year, they had basically driven him out of the Gobstones club and he hadn’t tried to join another club since.

Scorpius caught a glimpse of Fletcher further down the table and smiled at him. To his surprise, Fletcher smiled back. Fletcher was quite the looker, Scorpius had to admit. His older sister Corey – the head girl – had her fair share of boyfriends as well. All in all, the Adams family were all stunning. Of course, Fletcher wasn’t Scorpius’ type. No one was Scorpius’ type much, apart from Albus.

“… Scorpius?”

“Hm?” He answered, his name snapping him from his reverie. Molly was standing with Jenny, looking at him with a curious look.

“Quidditch? I’ll see you at try-outs?” Molly would definitely see him before that in classes, but Scorpius decided to let that slide.

“I’ll be there.”

“Great, see you later,” they both waved them off before exiting the hall in amicable chatter.

Albus nudged his shoulder and gave him a curious look. “Where was your brain there?”

“Oh you know,” Scorpius gestured vaguely. “Everywhere,” he chuckled.

Albus smiled fondly at him and shook his head. He nudged his shoulder again, a silent gesture to tell him they had to go to class. Scorpius stood and swung his bag over his shoulder, quickly downing the rest of his tea. They walked to Scorpius’ rambles down to the care of magical creatures clearing, where Hagrid was waiting for them.

Care of magical creatures was Albus’ favourite class, mostly because he could prat around and not have many consequences. He always left with a smile on his face and laughing about something that had happened. Scorpius liked the subject, sure. He preferred the theory side to it, as some of the creatures were quite frightening at first glance. Though, they seemed to like Scorpius mostly. Albus called him a Disney princess because they seemed to be drawn to him. He had only taken it because Albus begged him to and had dropped muggle studies over this because Albus didn’t want to lose his favourite – only – partner. Scorpius was happy to continue on as long as it made Albus smile. 

Sometimes, he didn’t know exactly what that meant. He just knew Albus’ happiness was more important than a muggle studies O.W.L. Plus, the animals weren't all bad.

#

Albus let out a loud groan as he sat down at the desk next to Jenny. His morning lessons had physically and mentally drained him of all energy, and all he could think about was how Scorpius was currently on a free period and yet somehow still studying in the library. It was the first day back, Albus had no idea what he was studying exactly.

He decided to leave him be, knowing Scorpius and his love for books and learning.

“Rough morning?” Jenny giggled.

“Didn’t have time for a coffee at lunch because Scorpius dragged me to the Quidditch pitch for last minute practice before his try-outs,” Albus explained, pulling his books out and resting his head on them. He wanted a nap, but Scorpius was more important.

“He seems nervous,” Jenny offered, reaching over and adjusting Albus’ hood on his robes so the inside was tucked in like it was supposed to be. Albus sent her a gracious smile.

“He’s very nervous. Not sure why though, he’s brilliant.” Albus sat up and began organising his mess of books. His two main ones piled on top of each other in the corner of the desk, a piece of parchment in front of him with his quill and ink pot next to it.

Scorpius always teased Albus about how neat he was when it came to studying and revision compared to what he was like with his bed and clothes. Not that he could say much, Scorpius was the neatest person you’ll ever meet, until he starts revising and suddenly you’ll find a piece of (important) parchment amongst a bunch of other unimportant pieces with a tea ring stained onto it. He used anything he could find as a bookmark, including once a headband he used to keep his hair from his face. His hair wasn’t that long, but it was cut so the tips often fell into his eyes and it irritates him.

“You and Scorpius…” Jenny said, looking at Albus curiously.

Albus furrowed his brow and looked at her. “What about us?”

You seem…” she paused to find a word, “ _close_.” Albus grimaced. Of course they were close. They were best friends. Scorpius was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Of course we’re close,” he said.

“Yeah, but… is it more than that?”

_Oh._

“Oh – erm – no. It’s not like… that,” he sighed, gesturing vaguely and knowing that was exactly how he wanted things to be. Jenny was either really perceptive, or Albus was being really fucking obvious, because she seemed to be able to decipher exactly what his sigh meant in less than ten seconds.

“Why, do you like him or something?” Albus asked before she could question him further.

Jenny smiled and let out a little chuckle. “No, Albus. Don’t get me wrong, he’s gorgeous but not my type,” a blush spread across her cheeks.

“What is your type?” Albus asked, curious. He thought Scorpius was everyone’s type. Bleach-blond hair and shining eyes to die for. He seemed to be all of his cousins’ types anyway, and Albus was no stranger to the glances other girls have been sending him. Not that Scorpius ever saw them. Albus didn’t think he knew just how beautiful he really was.

“Girls,” she said through a chuckle.

Albus’ eyes widened. “Oh,” an amused smile grew on his lips. “Okay, I’ll let you off,” he winked. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him. They chuckled together until it slowly faded out.

Jenny fiddled with the end of her quill. “It could be, you know? Like _that_ with Scorpius,” she shrugged. “You’re both quite fond of each other.” She gave Albus a reassuring smile and somehow he found himself smiling back.

“We care about each other, but I don’t think it’s like that for Scorp,” Albus admitted. If he was being honest, it felt good getting all this out. He’d been keeping it in for so long.

When he first noticed it, when the innocent touches seemed to set his skin on fire and his heart racing, it terrified him. He didn’t know what it meant. But, he was suddenly hyperaware of every interaction between them, too scared he’ll overstep the mark. Scorpius was never a touchy-feely person. When Albus first hugged him at the beginning of their fourth-year he nearly ran for the hills. He just wasn’t brought up that way, and the only person Albus had ever seen him hug before him was his mum on the platform.

Then, Scorpius suddenly _was_ very touchy-feely, but only with him. Scorpius became more comfortable with hugs, and then hugs turned into hand-holding, and cuddling on the common room sofa and eventually sharing a bed (that was the only place they didn’t cuddle). The more Scorpius got used to the constant touching, the more Albus did. Now, it wasn’t weird to rest his head on his shoulder or hug him even though they’d only parted ways for a single lesson. It wasn’t weird to touch his thigh under the table when one of them was getting too angry (Albus) or too anxious (Scorpius).

Albus wasn’t sure at what point the line blurred, but he was sure that it meant nothing to Scorpius. They were best friends and doomed to be best friends forever. That was how things worked for Albus. He never got happy endings. He was doomed to watch Scorpius marry some other witch or wizard as he stood next to him as his best man.

“Is he not gay?” She asked.

Albus shrugged. “He’s never said he is, but he’s never said he isn’t. And he would never label himself either. He doesn’t like labels, he says they complicate things too much. He was labelled from birth as ‘evil’ and a ‘Death-Eaters son’ or ‘Voldemort’s son’, I think he wants to try and stay away from that as much as possible.”

“Makes sense. I think you should tell him though. You might surprise yourself,” she smiled again. Albus never got the chance to reply because their Professor started the lesson and he was bored half to death because of the functions of muggle technology.

And he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

_You might surprise yourself._

Did she know something he didn’t? Not that it was possible. She hadn’t spent any alone time with Scorpius and therefore he couldn’t have confided in her. And Scorpius often wore his heart on his sleeve, but he had never showed any romantic attraction to anyone as far as Albus was aware. Either Albus was incredibly dense, or Jenny was incredibly observant.

The subject never broached for the rest of the day, thankfully. Though, Jenny did give him a knowing smile at dinner when they were graced with Scorpius’ presence. One of Jenny’s new friends – Clara Finnigan-Thomas – joined them as well, which was a nice surprise. She was nice, though Albus tried not to act too jealous when she laughed way too loudly at one of Scorpius’ jokes.

Scorpius’ try-outs were after dinner, and he kept his meal to a minimum, so it wouldn’t harm his performance. He was already dressed in his Quidditch clothes and mostly sat there twiddling his thumbs and watching the clock tick. He had now taken to tapping his foot anxiously in the same rhythm as drumming his fingers on the table.

Albus reached over and placed a hand over his drumming one to stop the action. “Scor,” he spoke softly, and entwined their hands. He thought he saw some of the anxiety leave his body. “You’ll be fine, you’re a brilliant seeker,” Albus tried to reassure.

Scorpius looked at him briefly before settling his eyes on a seemingly interest part of the wooden table. “What if I’m not?”

Albus let go of his hand and grabbed his face instead, turning it so Scorpius was looking at him. “You are, I’ve seen you play! You’re brilliant, and Molly thinks so too, and I’ve played against you, you’re really good.” Albus let his hands drop from Scorpius’ cheeks to his arm. He saw Jenny and Clara share an amused glance, but he ignored it.

Scorpius half-smiled. “You’re not exactly hard to beat, Albus,” he joked. Albus smacked his arm lightly and pouted.

“Fair point. But you are. You also have to go,” Albus reminded.

Scorpius glanced at the clock and stood so quickly he knocked his knees off the table. Albus flinched, knowing that it would probably bruise knowing Scorpius’ fair skin. He took a final swig of water before stumbling out of the bench in a flurry of robes so quickly that he nearly fell over. Albus rolled his eyes. When he makes the team, he would be the clumsiest seeker in history.

Scorpius wished the girls goodbye, grabbed his broom from under the table and started walking off, turning around when he realised Albus wasn’t following.

“Are you not coming?” He asked, trepidation evident in his tone. He started fiddling with the bristles of his broom and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. Right then, Albus knew he was going to go, but he still had to check if that was what he actually wanted.

“Don’t you think it’s… sort of – erm,” he cleared his throat, “…couple-ly?”

Scorpius blinked a few times and slightly recoiled. “Would that be a problem?”

Albus had never jumped out of his seat so fast. “No, no, of course not,” he assured.

Scorpius smiled. “Let’s go then.”

Albus nodded and followed him out, waving goodbye to Jenny and Clara, the former mouthing ‘smooth’ to him as he walked away. Albus narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head before turning back to Scorpius.

Scorpius was walking fast, probably as fast as his heart was beating. Albus ached to reach out and grab his hand to calm him but thought better of it.

When they approached the pitch, almost everyone else was already there. Molly greeted them cheerfully and stood next to Scorpius until Fletcher initiated the try-outs. He split them into positions, and Molly had to leave Scorpius’ side to join the chasers. Albus gave Scorpius a brief good luck hug before he joined the other seeker – there was only him and another girl trying for that position. Albus was almost sure he’d get it, even without seeing the other girl play.

“Potter, are you trying out?” Fletcher asked.

Albus took a step back. “Oh, no,” he shook his head. Fletcher nodded and addressed the rest of the group.

Albus made for the stands where he could sit and watch from a better vantage point. It was pretty boring to start with as Scorpius was one of the last to try-out. He had to sit through the chaser, keeper and beating try-outs first. Molly did brilliantly, of course. She was pretty much guaranteed the spot, but it was fair game for all and everyone had to try-out again.

When it was turn for the seekers, Scorpius took confidently to the sky. Albus knew he’d be fine once he got on his broom, Scorpius was a natural flyer. Scorpius and the other seeker tried out at the same time. They’re were twenty snitches released onto the field, and they had to gather them as fast as possible and as many as possible. Albus barely saw the snitches before they were in their hands.

Scorpius flew like the wind. He looked radiant, his cheeks flushed pink from the wind with his hair blown away from his face. Albus counted how many he caught – thirteen. The other girl only managed seven. Albus smiled to himself and got up from his seat, going to meet Scorpius on the pitch.

“The full list of the team will be up in the common room on Friday,” Fletcher was explaining as Albus approached the pitch. He caught a glance of Scorpius who was gleaming with joy. It must have been contagious, because Albus found himself beaming back.

When dismissed, Scorpius practically ran over to him and jumped on him. “Did you see that? Albus, that went great!” He sang, putting his arm around his shoulders and leading him away from the pitch, his broom in the other hand.

“Told you you’d be great,” Albus complimented, bumping his hip with Scorpius’. If possible Scorpius beamed harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing above of Scorpius after his try-out done by the lovely secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr)  
> See you on Monday for chapter 3 :)
> 
> Hope ya'll like Jenny and my take on Molly. Let me know :)  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	3. Because These Things Will Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all starting to come together now :)
> 
> Thanks for all the support so far, enjoy chapter 3 :)

With Friday came a lot of excitement and anxiety rolled up into one ball inside his stomach. When he woke, he tried not to disturb Albus who had a free that morning. Scorpius left him in his bed and got ready for the day, being as quiet as possible.

His hands shook as he buttoned his top button and tied his tie, green ends getting knotted around his fingers. He secretly wished he’d pulled an Albus and kept his tie partly tied when he took it off the previous night. It had always amused Scorpius how Albus never learned how to tie it properly.

The Quidditch results hadn’t been posted yet, he noted, as he entered the common room. He did his best to push the anxiety down and made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. He got there in record time, clearly walking in time with his pounding heart. Jenny waved him over to the Hufflepuff table and he cautiously approached, knowing that not many would appreciate his company.

“Eat with us,” Jenny offered, and Scorpius nodded, trying to ignore the stares around him as a Slytherin sat with the Hufflepuffs. And not just any Slytherin, but Scorpius bloody Malfoy. He knew that’s what they were all thinking and wished there was something he could do about it. Wished he could somehow change their minds about him.

“You get your results today, right? About Quidditch?” Clara – Jenny’s friend – asked. She had a friendly smile on her face that seemed slightly forced, but Scorpius didn’t let that bother him. She was a nice enough girl, if not a little quiet.

“Oh – er – yeah,” he stuttered, attempting to cover up his nerves with a chuckle. “A little nervous.”

A lie. He was a lot nervous. He knew – logically – that the position should be his. Kate, the other seeker try-out, was good, but Scorpius was better. He performed better in the try-outs; he was faster on a broom. There was no logical reason for him not to get it.

So, there was no logical reason for him to be nervous. Yet, he was.

“You’ll do great, Scorpius,” Jenny assured, reaching over to squeeze his forearm. He smiled gratefully at her and started eating his breakfast. He mostly listened to the other girls chat about things he wasn’t all that interested in, letting his anxiety take over about the possible events of the day. He didn’t realise until today how much he wanted the seeking position. He thought he wanted it a normal amount, but now he realised he wanted it more than anything.

Because it would give him the chance to be something else.

Scorpius Malfoy was a lot of things according to the student body. He was Voldemort’s’ son. And when he wasn’t busy being his son, he was the son of a Death-Eater. He was Albus Potters’ shadow, and when he wasn’t busy being that he was manipulating him. He was evil. He was a Slytherin. He was a loser and a nerd. He was a disappointment. He was everything. Except the person he really was.

But, with Quidditch he could be Scorpius. With Quidditch he could be someone else. Someone people look up to. Someone people want to be like.

He could be. If it got it.

The morning passed with the same kind of blur that breakfast did. Everything moved in slow motion whilst his brain ran a hundred miles per hour. The only clear sound the entire morning was the clock ticking and his beating heart. He barely noticed the bell had rung for lunch following second period until Albus nudged his arm and sent him a questioning look. It was unusual for Scorpius to drift off during History of Magic – it was one of his favourite subjects. Usually Albus relied on him to take notes, but he had failed this time around.

Scorpius packed his bag and told Albus he’ll meet him in the Great Hall. The results would be up, and Scorpius wanted to check them as soon as possible. Albus nodded and wished him a ‘good luck’. Scorpius had never sprinted so fast down to the dungeons before.

There was small group gathered around the notice board when he entered the common room – out of breath and sweaty. He politely waited at the back until there was a gap to squeeze through. When he finally battled his way to the front, he was stood next to Kate – the other seeker that had tried out.

Scorpius scanned for his name on the sheet, looking for the seeking position. When he spotted it, his heart and smile dropped.

> _Slytherin Seeker: Kate Carpenter_
> 
> _Slytherin Seeker Substitute: Scorpius Malfoy._

Substitute. He was the bloody substitute. Kate actually looked shocked, and even sent him a sympathetic smile.

“Honestly, you deserved it more than me,” she said before disappearing, lightly patting his shoulder on her way out, not giving Scorpius the chance to reply.

There was a small part of him saying _at least you made the team at all_ , but the other half was a mixture of sadness and anger, bundled into a pit in his stomach. There was no logical reason for him not to have been given the permanent spot, so why was Kate’s name up there over his? Even she agreed that it should he his.

He scanned the sheet again, just to see if he had somehow read it wrong, but he had not.

Substitute.

He may as well have not been given a spot at all. Substitutes never get used in Quidditch, especially seekers because they’re usually well protected by their beaters.

Deep down, he knew exactly why Fletcher hadn’t picked him, even after an impeccable performance. Deep down, he knew the problem wasn’t his flying, or his skill, or his speed: it was him as a person.

Scorpius stormed out the common room, his robes flying behind him in a flurry of anger. Usually, if Scorpius was angry, it manifested itself into sadness or anxiety to prevent him feeling his true emotion, but it wasn’t doing that now. And Scorpius never wanted it to. He usually hated anger – it was messy and unpredictable - but he’ll be damned if he let these feelings be buried among the others.

When he approached the Great Hall and saw Fletcher sat at the table with the rest of the Slytherin team (the ones that were bound to make it no matter the turn out of the try-outs), the anger inside him burned.

“Hey, Scorp-” Albus tried calling him, but Scorpius marched straight passed him. He never got the chance to see his, Jenny’s and Molly’s look of confusion as he stormed right past his friends and straight into the belly of the beast. Now he was stood in front of Fletcher, those blue eyes bright and smirk that Scorpius wanted to punch from his face, his anger flared, hotter than the sun.

Confrontation was not something he usually liked, but right now he was ready for a verbal war. He slapped his hands on the table, trying not to wince at the pain that shot through his palms.

“Why didn’t I make seeker?” He asked, plain and simple, in a much calmer voice than expected. He hoped it came across as the cool, scary anger his father usually perfected, but Scorpius was anything but frightening. He heard Albus sigh from a few seats down and Scorpius knew he was getting ready to feel second-hand anger for him.

“I picked the best person who tried out,” Fletcher said, shrugging his shoulders, tone irritatingly nonchalant.

“Best? I’m not denying Kate is brilliant, but we both know I played better,” Scorpius responded, folding his arms across his chest and pointing his chin the way he saw his father do many times over the years. If he could channel his inner Draco Malfoy – he had to be in there somewhere – then maybe he’d get somewhere in this war.

“Teams have been picked, Malfoy, and you have a spot,” he waved his fork at him. Scorpius resisted the urge to grab it and throw it across the room.

“Yeah, a sub. Oh, wow,” he drawled, knowing his father would scold him for the sarcasm. Maybe he didn’t have an inner Draco Malfoy. “Next I’ll be the water boy.”

“You should be grateful.”

“I will be if you prove me wrong,” he said, putting his hands back on the table and peering at him with as much ire in his eyes as he could muster. If it was anything like his fathers’, he would cower under his gaze. Fletcher was unmoving. “Tell me that if you took away who I was. Pretend I’m not a Malfoy or the son of an ex-Death Eater and imagine I’m just a fifth-year kid trying out for seeker and the try-outs were exactly the same. Who would pick?”

“Scorpius,” that was Albus coming up next him, saying his name as a warning. This must be strange for him, he had never had to talk Scorpius down from anger before. It was always the other way around. Apart from that one time in the library, and even then Scorpius had been more upset than angry.

Fletcher faltered, and Scorpius knew he had him.

“Tell me,” Scorpius prompted, but Fletcher just hung his mouth like a fish out of water.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of staring between the two, Fletcher answered. “I would… pick you. But, Scorpius, we have a rep to uphold. We can’t have a-” _Death Eaters son_ went unspoken.

“What?” He spat, daring Fletcher to say the words everyone knew he was thinking.

He didn’t say them. “I’m sorry, Scorpius. At least you have a spot on the team at all,” he tried to reassure.

Scorpius scoffed and rolled his eyes, folding his arms again. “No. I don’t. I don’t want it.”

“Why not?”

Scorpius squinted his eyes at Fletcher and just before he turned to walk away, he said, “Malfoy’s aren’t second best.”

He was out the Great Hall in record time. In the Entrance Hall, he let out a frustrated scream, throwing himself against the wall in anger before taking off into a sprint down the hall. He had no destination in mind, he just needed a place to be alone: to cry, to scream, to wallow in his self-pity and anger and failure.

That was the worst part. He failed in making the team. He failed in trying to change the Malfoy name and by doing that he’d failed everyone else. He’d failed his dad. His mum. Himself. He was a failure and a disappointment, so maybe some of the rumours were true.

#

Albus ran after Scorpius, and he knew Jenny and Molly were close behind too. It had been quite the scene, and Scorpius had managed to draw the eyes of nearly everyone in the Great Hall due to how loudly he slammed his hands on the table. Albus wondered if they were still sore.

The look on Fletcher’s face was hilarious, though Albus had to keep his laughter in. He was angry, after all. It wasn’t fair that he hadn’t accepted Scorpius onto the team purely because of who he was. It was discrimination at its finest. And Albus thought the wizarding world were over the war twenty years ago. It’s not like it was Scorpius who fought on the side of Voldemort, he just had the unfortunate fate of being born into a family that did.

Albus jogged behind him, but Scorpius was sprinting just ahead of him at a much faster speed. He eventually turned into an empty classroom and slammed the door behind him, nearly in Albus’ face. He clearly didn’t realise Albus was following him.

“Is he okay?” Molly said as she and Jenny caught up. He could see James and Lily in the distance, no doubt wondering what was going on. Why was his family so bloody nosey?

“I’ve never seen him this angry before,” Albus admitted, shrugging. He turned to the door and tried the handle, but as predicted, it was locked. So, he knocked. “Scorpius?”

The door unlocked and Albus shot Molly and Jenny a glance to tell them to stay back for now, for only he could ever really deal with Scorpius. Scorpius was nervous around other people. If he was sad, happy, scared or angry, it was always Albus he wanted. Never his dad (even though they were growing closer), but only him. He knew it would be him he needed now.

“Can you believe that?” Scorpius shouts as soon as Albus is through the door and it shuts behind him and locks when Scorpius flicks his wand. Albus ignored the fact that he hadn’t said any words to perform this action.

“It’s a joke,” he agrees, looking at Scorpius. He was flustered red with a fire in his eyes that Albus had never seen before. He had to admit it was kind of… endearing. If Albus wasn’t attracted to him before, he definitely was now.

 _Not the time, Albie,_ he scolded himself.

“It’s not fair!” He screamed, flailing his arms like a child. He kicked a nearby chair, sending it flying across the floor. Albus tried not to visibly flinch. Seeing Scorpius in this state was so rare, Albus was beginning to worry. “I’m so tired of this, Albus! I’m so tired of being treated like I’m a bad person. I’m so tired of living in the shadow of my father and grandfather. What did I do to deserve it besides being born?” He sounded so defeated at that last sentence that Albus’ heart shattered.

His anger was starting to settle down now, converting into what no doubt will be sadness and anxiety soon enough once he realised what he’d done and how the majority of the school had witnessed his outburst. A totally justified outburst in Albus’ opinion, but a lot of people probably wouldn’t see it like that. They probably think he doesn’t have the right to be angry because it wasn’t his family he lost in the war, they just fought on the wrong side. Little do they know, the Malfoys’ lost a whole lot more than imagined.

“You didn’t do anything, Scor,” Albus said, crossing the room to him and pulling him into a hug. Scorpius collapsed against him, the last of the anger draining from his body.

“The world is a cruel place and so are the people in it,” he mumbled into his shoulder, squeezing Albus around the waist in an attempt to get maximum comfort, and Albus couldn’t help but think how right he was.

“Not all of us, right?” Albus asked as they pulled away, emitting a soft chuckle from him. They were still so close, their foreheads touching. This close, Albus could see speckles of blue standing out from the grey in his eyes.

Scorpius smiled softly and gently squeezed Albus’ waist. Albus placed a hand on his cheek, a small reassurance.

“No. Not you, Albus.”

Albus resisted the urge to lean in and kiss him, but it was hard as Scorpius’ face was right there and his hand was on his cheek and he couldn’t breathe because was he getting closer? He was definitely leaning in and-

“Guys? Everything all right?” Lily’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. They jumped apart and shared an exasperated look before Scorpius unlocked the door and opened it with his wand. The moment had disappeared, and Albus couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

His overbearing family and Jenny piled into the classroom. It seemed more of Albus’ cousins had showed up. Domi, Louis, Freddie, Hugo and little Lucy had popped up from somewhere. It seemed only Roxanne and Rose were missing and- nope, there they were. Albus didn’t realise he’d signed up for a family meeting.

“Fine,” Scorpius spoke, but his voice was strained.

“That was rough, Scorp,” James said, walking over and placing a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder. He had clearly witnessed it.

“Yeah, Fletcher is a douche,” Molly chipped in helpfully, jumping onto a desk.

“What happened?” Hugo asked.

“Fletcher Adams refused to make Scorpius Slytherin seeker purely because of who he is, which is not only extremely discriminating but also just plain mean. Scorpius, I’ve literally known you for five days, but you’re the nicest person I’ve ever met and deserve to be treated better than that,” Jenny said, making her way through the mass of Weasley-Potters to stand next to Scorpius. She pulled him in for a hug, and Albus saw him tense slightly before he settled into it.

“Thanks, Jen,” he smiled, though Albus could tell it was forced.

“So, what’re we going to do?” Louis asked, a grin on his face that mirrored Freddie’s.

“Yeah, are we going to get him back?” Freddie asked, and Albus could swear that if you looked close enough, you could see the ideas swirling through his brain.

“No,” Scorpius cut them off and they both deflated. “You guys are amazing, but I’m not going to do anything to him.”

“Why not?” Lily asked. She had a bone for pranks too.

“Because it’s not me. Look, I wanted to join Quidditch because I wanted people to look at me and see Scorpius. Not a Death-Eater’s son or the boy who fucked up the world by trying to change time,” at that, Albus reached out and squeezed his hand. “Obviously, even Quidditch can’t do that for me. So, I’m going to do something different. I’m going to find a different way, my way, to show people I’m not a monster. To show them that I’m only a Malfoy by name but not by personality.”

The fire in his eyes had returned, but this time it wasn’t anger. No, it was determination. Albus had no idea what he was cooking up in that brain of his, but if he knew Scorpius, then it would be brilliant.

“So, then what are you going to do?” Hugo asked, and the Weasley-Potters looked among themselves when Scorpius shrugged. Albus watched as his mind faded away, letting him get lost in his thoughts for a moment.

He looked to his family, who were all looking at him with such intensity it was heart-warming. It had only just occurred to him that they hadn’t come here because it was Albus that was being discriminated against, but because it was _Scorpius._ That day Scorpius came over the summer, he was welcomed into the family with open arms. Albus smiled knowing his family were still looking out for him. They were willing to risk detention because of some prick who somehow made Quidditch captain. They were treating him like one of their own without Albus asking them to.

He looked among them. To James, Freddie and Louis who looked ready for a fight if that what Scorpius asked for. To Domi, Molly and Lucy who were ready with their arms open if Scorpius requested a hug. To Rose and Roxy, who had a fire in their eyes not unlike Lilys, ready to hex if needed. To Hugo, who looked at Scorpius with a proud smile, and he knew he would be proud no matter what came out of Scorpius’ mouth next.

Albus felt a swell of love for his family in his heart and thanked every star he could imagine for their existence. Twenty years ago, the Weasley’s would never have dreamed of being in the same room as a Malfoy and ready to defend his honour. As a family, they had overlooked the prejudices’ of the past that even their parents suffered through, and openly accepted Scorpius. If the Weasley-Potters could achieve that in one day over summer break, then why couldn’t the rest of the world get on board just as easily?

Scorpius snapped from his reverie and gave Albus a proud smile.

“So…?” Rose prompted, clearly noting Scorpius’ breakthrough.

“I’m going to change the world, one lonely nerd at a time,” he spoke proudly, a grin of pure elation on his lips. No one had any idea what it meant, but for the second time that day, Scorpius was out the room in a rush of black and green robes.

#

“Professor McGonagall, I need to speak with you,” Scorpius called after her, just about catching her on her exit from the Great Hall. He had an idea, but he needed her approval first.

“Talk fast, Mr Malfoy, I have a meeting,” she replied. She was walking fast, and Scorpius had to enter a jog to catch up to her. He had always found Headmistress McGonagall to be quite scary, with the way she looked down at you and that Scottish accent. However, she was actually a very friendly woman. That didn’t help the trepidation he felt towards her after the incidences of last year, however. Still, he swallowed that down.

“I want to make a club,” he said.

“What kind of club?”

“I don’t know yet, I just know it’ll be a safe place.”

McGonagall stopped her freakishly fast walk and turned to him. “A safe place?” She questioned, her tone slightly daunting.

He was well aware he just suggested Hogwarts wasn’t safe. But, it wasn’t, was it? Scorpius had been bullied his entire Hogwarts career because of his heritage and because he was different. Albus had been, too, because he was in Slytherin and nothing like his father. A place can’t be safe if the students inside get bullied.

“I want to create a place where people can feel safe. I want to reach out to all those who have ever been bullied because of their name, or because they aren’t clever enough, or because they don’t fit in or whatever reason. Anyone who feels like Hogwarts isn’t their home. I want to make it their home.” He didn’t know where that came from, but the small smile on McGonagall’s lips made him thankful for his mouth being out of sync with his brain, for once.

“What’s brought this on?” She asked and started walking again. Scorpius followed.

“Me and Albus have never had a home here. We were always on the outside looking in, cast aside because we were either too different or not different enough. And when we didn’t have anyone else, we had each other. We made a home with each other,” he sighed to himself. “I know there are other kids like me, kids who don’t feel safe walking the halls on their own for fear of a nasty hex, or even a punch to the face. I want somewhere where these kids can feel like they have a home here, too. Somewhere they can go when they’ve had a bad day, or a bully is taunting them, and they’ll find others like them. They’ll find a home.”

His words brought tears to his eyes. When the idea sparked before, he hadn’t realised how passionate he was about it. It was a selfish idea, at first. Some way to help change the perception of his name, but he realised that this was much bigger than him. The world was so much bigger than his small problem. Others deserved this, too. First years who think they were sorted into the wrong house. Fourth years figuring out their gender or sexuality and being terrified. Second years not being able to do that spell and therefore being taunted for it. Or anyone with a last name linked to a Death-Eater and were ridiculed and shot down.

He had to do this for all of them. For everyone who ever felt unsafe in a place they should be able to call home.

“Very well, Mr. Malfoy. There’s an empty classroom on the third floor you can use. I’ll speak to your head of house and see if she’ll shadow over you and make sure it’s going okay.”

“Professor, that classroom, can it be turned into like a common room? Or a study space?”

“Do with it what you will, Mr. Malfoy. Ask your head of house for any help with spells you might need, though we both know you’re very bright.” She smiled proudly at him and Scorpius returned it.

“Thank you, Professor.”

McGonagall stopped her strides again and turned to him. “You know, Scorpius, you are exactly what your father could have been had the world granted him a different past. You’re destined for great things,” she promised and in a flash had disappeared.

Scorpius couldn’t help the smile on his face as he skipped down to his next class.

He could do this. He could help change everything. And even if he never succeeded, he could give a few people a place to call home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr) as usual and it's beautiful and they are in the gayest pose ever and not even dating yet, I love my brain :)  
> Scorpius is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs to be protected at ALL costs! And Al in this warms my heart.  
> Feedback is much appreciated, it gives me life :)  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> See you on thursday for the next chapter :)


	4. A Place to Call Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before ya'll get disappointed, remember the tag 'I'd tried for a slow burn but it's not that slow' :)
> 
> Also, the name of the fic will actually make sense after this chapter :)

****“A club?” Albus asked, incredulous. This wasn’t the first time Scorpius talked about the range of clubs at Hogwarts, but it was certainly the first time he’d ever mentioned _making_ one. The blond in question nodded his head rapidly, a wide beam on his face and a proud look in his eye. “About what?”

Scorpius had barely given Albus any details, he just came rushing into class after disappearing to talk to McGonagall chatting about how he got approval for some sort of club. He was talking so fast that Albus barely caught most the words. Usually he was pretty good at deciphering Scorpius’ rambles, but this one went straight over his head.

“To give people like us a place to feel safe,” he said, talking slower this time clearly noticing Albus was struggling to keep up. He kept his voice low as Professor Reus spoke about the properties of the Befuddlement potion. Scorpius already knew everything about this potion and well, Albus was pretty decent at potions as well.

“People like us?”

“People who have been bullied, or have been outcast for being different,” his excitement faded slightly at Albus’ apprehension. It’s not that it wasn’t a good idea - most ideas Scorpius had were brilliant - it’s just that it wasn’t Albus’ idea of fun. It was bad enough he had to be Prefect.

“I don’t know, Scorp,” he spoke, turning away to scribble down a few notes.

Scorpius grabbed his arm tightly, leaning in close. Albus could smell his vanilla shampoo and tried to calm his pounding heart. Did Scorpius know what those little touches did to him? Was he aware that the slightest touch sent tingles through his body? That it set his nerves on fire? That a single touch made him forget all his thought processes? That it stole his breath away?

“Please, Al, I need you with me on this,” he begged. Albus managed to look up, finding Scorpius a lot closer than he imagined. His warm breath tickled Albus’ cheek. They locked eyes, and not for the first time, Albus wondered what it’d be like if they locked lips right now. Scorpius’ eyes were bright, dancing in the candlelight behind them, and worst of all, they were full of pleading. Scorpius knew Albus could never say no when he looked at him like that.

Albus swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his gaze away, suddenly remembering where they were. Professor Reus would not be happy if her two best students started snogging in her classroom – whilst she was teaching. And students of her own house too!

“Okay,” Albus agreed and wished he looked at Scorpius as the beam overtook his face. But then Scorpius’ touch was gone, and Albus was left feeling empty.

Albus was only half focused the rest of the lesson. He would have been more focused, if Scorpius wasn’t practically buzzing in his seat smiling like a maniac. It warmed his heart to see him finally happy. Ever since their return from time, Scorpius shrunk into himself. He would smile less – even less than he did after his mum died – and wouldn’t talk as much as he did before. To see him like this, buzzing with excitement due to the chance to make a change, Albus felt like he was seeing the eleven-year-old he met on the train all those years ago.

It hit him then that what he felt for Scorpius was more than a stupid crush. It was love. He loved his best friend. His mum always taught him that his happiness should never rely on someone else’s happiness. Unfortunately, he may have let her down on that. Scorpius was everything. If he was sad, Albus was sad. If he was angry, Albus was angry. If he was happy, Albus was happy. They were two halves of one half. Two sides of the same coin. Destined to be together – whether it be because they’re in love or just friends. Albus knew the moment he opened that compartment on the train five years ago that he would spend the rest of his life with Scorpius Malfoy. Even if Scorpius never loved him back, it is an honour to love him.

There was a part of him – a small part – that believed that Scorpius may feel the same way. Albus decided he had to take that chance. He would confess to Scorpius because no matter what happens, Scorpius would never leave him. They needed each other like the sun needed the moon, like a book needed words, like fish needed water.

He should have realised it earlier, really. He should have realised that there was no one in this world he felt the need to protect more than he did Scorpius. There was no one he would rather live with more than Scorpius. It was always him. It would only ever be him.

The bell rung, pulling Albus from his thoughts.

“Scorpius, can I speak with you for a moment?” Professor Reus asked as the class began to filter out of the classroom. Scorpius nodded, turning to Albus to say he’ll catch up. Albus only nodded, not trusting himself to speak and blurt out his previous thought process right there and then.

Albus packed up, half-watching Scorpius make his way to the front of the classroom to speak to their Professor and Head of House. He smiled his signature smile when he reached her, and she returned it – Scorpius was her favourite student after all. Albus flung his bag over his shoulder and made his way out, nearly crashing into Jenny standing outside the classroom.

“Coming to dinner?” She asked, a smile not unlike Scorpius’ on her face. Clara was standing just behind her, smiling as well.

“Yes, definitely. What’re you doing down here?” Albus asked, surprised to see the two Hufflepuffs waiting for him. Albus had decided he really liked Jenny. Seeing her stick up for Scorpius earlier made him fully adjust to her (he did like her previously, but Albus struggled trusting people completely).

“We had a free, so we thought we’d meet you here,” she explained as they began their ascent to the Great Hall. There was still a couple of hours until food would be served, but the past week had seen to new traditions, and they would often study in the Great Hall together until dinner began. They still all referred to it as ‘dinner’ rather than ‘studying’.

“Where’s Scorpius?” Clara asked, looking behind Albus as though she was expecting him to be standing there. It wasn’t a strange assumption, it was rare to see the two of them separate.

“I think Clara has a crush on him,” Jenny teased, nudging her friend gently. Albus tried to laugh along, but the truth is a pang of jealousy ran through him.

“Who doesn’t?” He said through gritted teeth, a pathetic attempt to cover up his feelings. Jenny caught his eyes and shook her head, a playful smile on her face. She was only joking, but Albus pouted in response.

“I do not,” Clara protested, oblivious to Albus’ and Jenny’s silent conversation. “Besides, I couldn’t date a _Malfoy_ , Papa would lose his head,” she laughed but neither Albus nor Jenny found it funny. Albus stopped on his heels, his shoes squeaking against the flooring.

“What?”

Jenny was about to say something, no doubt to act as water to Albus’ growing fire, but Clara got in first. “His parents are Death Eaters,” she shrugged, holding a couple of books to her chest. “Papa wouldn’t even like that I’m friends with that sort, let alone date them.” And as though that explained everything, Clara carried on walking.

“His mum wasn’t a Death Eater,” Albus said defiantly. Clara turned back to face him. “And his dad was, but he’s not anymore. His parents are good people. And I don’t know what you mean by ‘that sort’, but if you’re discriminating against him because of the actions of his dad, then you’re just as bad as everyone else in this damned school. You don’t even deserve to date him so thank Merlin you would never consider it, he deserves the entire world and _you_ are merely a speck of dust.”

It all suddenly made sense why Scorpius was so invested in this club. People saw him as a bad person, automatically excluded him because of the family he was born into. He was seen as a Malfoy first, then a Slytherin, then Scorpius. By the time people reached the Scorpius part, they had already made their mind up about him. It wasn’t fair.

Albus walked off. He had no desire to catch her reaction. Instead, he went to the Great Hall and sat at the Slytherin table to wait for Scorpius.

He didn’t know, however, that Scorpius was standing just behind them and had heard the entire thing. Not until Scorpius sat down next to him a few moments after with a hurt smile pulled onto his features. Albus _hated_ Clara for putting that smile on his face. He wanted Sunshine Scorpius back. Scorpius deserved to be Sunshine Scorpius all the time.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said, smiling more genuinely when his bright eyes locked on Albus’. He had a hand on Albus’ shoulder, fingers gently squeezing him.

Albus smiled back. “I was just being a good friend.”

For the third time that day, both boys began leaning closer to each other, their eyes locked on the other.

“Is that all?” Scorpius said, his lips moments from Albus’.

Albus’ mind was spinning. Every single last thought about Scorpius was running through his mind at a hundred miles an hour, faster than the speed of light. He couldn’t catch a single one of them for long enough to process it. All he could see was Scorpius’ grey eyes, a universe in itself. His mind was running, running, running, running, running and-

It stopped.

His mind cleared like clouds on a sunny day.

Because Scorpius leaned that few inches closer and connected their lips in a fiery passion. There was no hesitation from either side. Scorpius’ arms were around his waist in a second, delicate hands holding him gently. Albus responded by snaking his arms around Scorpius’ neck and deepening the kiss.

Albus had no idea how long they stayed connected. It could have been seconds, or months, or years. But it was the best moment of his entire short existence.

When they finally disconnected, the awestruck look on Scorpius’ face was beautiful. When his swollen lips curved into a small smile, Albus thought he’d spontaneously combust right there and then. He always knew Scorpius was some kind of ethereal beauty, but he had only just took this moment to appreciate just how gorgeous he really was.

Albus’ own expression mirrored Scorpius’, the same awestruck smile and appreciation for the boy sat in front of him. It wasn’t until the loud dropping of books on the table startled them both out of their staring competition, Scorpius jumping a mile more than Albus – he always had been easily scared.

“Am I interrupting something?” Jenny asked innocently with a knowing smile, flicking her gaze between the two boys. Scorpius flustered like a tomato and he bit down on his bottom lip in embarrassment. Albus boldly took his hand under the table, and the smile that appeared on Scorpius’ lips could never hide his ardour.

“Not at all,” Albus replied, slightly sarcastically. Scorpius laughed, and Jenny rolled her eyes.

“I’m happy for you both,” was all she said, getting her parchment and quill from her bag and began working on homework. Albus looked around for Clara, but she was no where to be seen. 

Albus could feel Scorpius’ gaze on him as Jenny busied herself with homework. He turned to look at him, and he was biting his lip rather seductively – though knowing Scorpius it was not meant to be seductive at all. Scorpius turned to face him properly, swinging one leg over the other side of the bench.

He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but quickly closed them. It was strange, Scorpius could never usually control the words that poured from his mouth, let alone consider them carefully.

“I…” he paused. “That was-” another pause. Albus felt a surge of pride swell in his heart at the mere thought that _he_ had rendered _the_ Scorpius Malfoy speechless.

“Incredible,” Albus finished for him.

Scorpius nodded, “Yeah, it was,” he confirmed. Scorpius leaned forward quickly and pecked his lips again and Albus welcomed it. Though he was gone almost as quick as he came. They stared at each other for a few moments longer, before Scorpius clapped his hands together in excitement and stood. “Okay, guys, come with me,” he said, quickly gathering his things and throwing his bag over his shoulder.

Jenny eyed him carefully, then looked at Albus who shrugged and together they packed up without much questioning. Once they had both stood, Scorpius held a hand out to Albus who took it happily. He dragged them up to the third floor without any explanation, and only let go of Albus’ hand when he ran off ahead a little, searching all the classrooms before stopping in front of one at the end of the hall.

“3.14, this is it,” he whispered, unlocking the door with a quick _Alohomora_ and stepping into the empty classroom. Albus and Jenny shared yet another look before following him in.

Classroom 3.14 stood alone at the end of the corridor on the third floor, tucked away behind an obscure corner. It was once used for the elective class Alchemy; however the school had long stopped teaching that due to the lack of demand. The classroom hadn’t been used for fifteen years and simply sat and gathered dust. There were no longer desks and chairs inside, they had been moved to other classrooms that needed them. It was now just a large empty room, thick with dust and a teachers desk.

A long winding staircase led to another room similar to the DADA classroom, where a teacher once had their office. That had also long been abandoned. The walls were painted burgundy like the Gryffindor colours, the floor concrete like most of the castle.

Albus dropped his bag onto the teachers desk, regretting it when a flurry off dust powdered around him, causing him to sneeze. Scorpius looked at him and giggled slightly at his inconvenience. Albus looked at him, but his attention had already been moved to something else. He spun slowly in a circle, taking everything into account. Once he had inspected a large part of the room, he breathed a happy sigh.

“It’s perfect,” he spoke, words becoming lost to the large room. Scorpius broke into a run up the stairs, robes flying behind him and leaving his bag on the floor. He unlocked the other room and entered, coming out two seconds later with a giant beam and leaned over the bannister. “It’s perfect!” He said again, louder and giddier this time.

“Why are we here, Scorpius?” Jenny asked, wiping off a thick layer of dust on the windowsill. Albus joined her at the window. The room overlooked the Quidditch Pitch far off in the distance, the Gryffindor team were currently out practicing. If Albus squinted hard enough, he could make out his brother, sister and cousin hard at work.

“I’m going to change the world,” he spoke, suddenly behind Jenny and Albus where they stood at the window. They both jumped, neither hearing the other boy come up behind them.

“How?”

“With a club. A super-secret club, consisting of only those who have been bullied or left out here at Hogwarts. I’m going to create a safe place for them, a place where they feel at home. Here. This classroom.” Scorpius backed off, holding his hands out to the side, presenting the room in all its dusty glory.

“Welcome to classroom 3.14, home to the Hogwarts Loners’ Society.”

Scorpius paused for a moment to mull over the name. Jenny and Albus looked upon him, trying to hide their amused reactions.

“I’ll work on the name.”

#

Within a week, classroom 3.14 was open for business. Nearly.

Scorpius had spent all his free time cleaning and redecorating with the help of Jenny, Albus and Molly – who had been eager to join the club the moment she heard about it. She had been listening in on one of their conversations at the Slytherin table and insisted, Scorpius was more than happy to let her.

They had repainted the walls the muggle way, the paint provided by Draco Malfoy who would do anything to help his son fund his newest commitment. They had spent the entirety of Sunday decorating the walls in a pastel blue, which lit up the room significantly. The upstairs room had been cleared out and painted lilac.

Albus’ and Molly’s parents had donated old pieces of furniture that they had transfigured into sofas, desks, a bookshelf, a few drawers and a hammock. Upstairs was a pool table (Scorpius had no idea how to play, but Albus had promised to teach him) and a couple other games that students could use to chill out, both muggle and magic. There was a section cornered off for studying, upstairs for chilling, and a sofa corner that surrounded a fireplace (helpfully installed by Professor Reus) for socialising.

Within a week, the classroom had been transformed from a dusty old chamber to a fully-functioning make-shift common room.

Scorpius still hadn’t figured out the name and had a long piece of parchment full of potential ideas, but nothing stuck as of yet. Once he did figure it out, however, it would hang on a banner above the fireplace, out and proud.

There was a scuffling from the other side of the door, followed by Albus’ voice calling his name. Scorpius allowed himself a moment of laughter, proud that his spell had worked – with the help of Professor Flitwick.

“Scor, why can’t we get in?” Albus called.

“What’s the magic word?” He replied. He had enlisted Professor Flitwick to help him charm the door so only those who knew the password could enter. It was a way to keep the club private, so no one’s bullies could enter a wreak havoc. Flitwick was more than happy to help – in fact, all the teachers were eager to help in some way.

Professor Reus had been overlooking their progress, and even contributed to some of the painting done on Sunday. She had even taught them some drying spells, so they wouldn’t have to wait for the paint to dry the muggle way. Professor Raptor – the transfiguration teacher – had volunteered himself to help with the transfiguring of the furniture. Professor Longbottom had donated some harmless plants for the windowsills that emit an aroma meant to help relax a person. He said he would also be another teachers advocate for the club, due to his own experiences back when he was in Hogwarts.

Among the teachers, the yet-to-be-named club was a hit. However, they had yet to enlist any students. Scorpius hadn’t quite gotten around to that part yet, and the club was still just the four of them. Though, if the club never made it past four people, Scorpius would still claim it as a victory. It had still changed four people’s lives.

“You put a password on it?” Albus asked, incredulous. Scorpius laughed out loud this time. He had kept it from them on purpose purely for this reaction.

“Yeah, guess it,” he shouted back.

He heard Albus sigh and no doubt roll his eyes. “Babe,” he pleaded. Yeah… _babe_. That was another thing. A week ago, his life changed entirely - for the better. Because he kissed Albus Potter in the middle of the Great Hall and Albus Potter kissed him _back._ It was still very new, but Scorpius didn’t think he’d ever get used to kissing him.

Sharing a bed was weird too. They still did it, of course. They hadn’t slept in separate beds at Hogwarts for a while. But there were now new boundaries that both boys were too nervous to cross. So, they slept as they normally did, except now their hands would be linked. They had agreed to take it slowly. They were already fairly touchy, nothing had changed there, but as this was new territory for the both of them, they were going to work it out together.

“Albus Potter is the best,” Albus replied. Obviously, the door never budged.

Scorpius laughed, moving to sit on one of the desks. “I wouldn’t lie in a password, Al,” he joked, knowing that if Albus was in here he’d tickle him for revenge. Instead, Scorpius had to picture his jaw hanging open in shock.

“Scorpius Malfoy is a loser,” he replied, getting his own back.

“You’re dumped,” Scorpius responded, feigning seriousness.

“Sure thing, honey.”

“Take this seriously.”

“Fine.” He paused to think for a moment. Scorpius wished he could see the way his brows furrowed adorably when he thought too hard about something, his lips pouted in frustration. “Bathilda Bagshot,” he spoke seriously. Scorpius heard Molly and Jenny laugh at the suggestion.

“Good guess,” Scorpius praised, because realistically if he were to use a name it’d be hers. “But, it’s not a person.”

“Is it in English?”

“Latin.”

“Ugh, I hate that you’re bilingual.” Again, if Scorpius could see him, he’d be rolling his eyes.

“Albus, all our spells are in Latin. Or Greek. I don’t speak Latin fluently, though I do speak French. I also just gave you a massive hint.”

“A spell?” He questioned. Scorpius nodded before realising he can’t see him and shouted back a verbal affirmation. It went quiet behind the door, and Scorpius wondered if they were quietly discussing.

After a quiet moment, he heard Albus gasp and turned to the door. _“Periculum.”_

The door opened.

Behind it stood a beaming Albus, as bright as the sun itself, proud of himself for guessing. Scorpius beamed and opened his arms as a request for a hug. Albus obliged and walked over, kissing his cheek gently and embracing him.

Scorpius was worried that this new aspect of physical affection would be weird between them, but really nothing had changed. They just kissed a lot more than they used to and held hands in the corridor. Neither were ashamed to be out and open about their relationship. They already got bullied enough, at least if they were bullied for this it’d be about something true. Albus had told his large family straight away and asked them to keep quiet to the adults until he was ready. Scorpius was yet to tell his own father, but it was more because he wanted to tell him in person rather than over a letter.

“Periculum?” Molly questioned once Albus had pulled away.

Scorpius nodded proudly. “The Latin for ‘danger’ and a spell that emits red sparks from your wand. There are two variations of the spell, but I prefer this one. It’s a calling for help, and we’re the response. This is the place you go to for the help and protection.”

Molly eyed him for a moment, a proud smile on her lips. “You’re too pure for Albus,” she concluded before taking a seat on the sofa.

“Pure?” Albus scoffed, nudging Scorpius’ knee. Scorpius stuck his tongue out at him.

“Scorpius, this place is lovely,” Professor Reus said from the door. Scorpius hadn’t heard her use the password to enter, and worried for a moment the enchantment had warn off. “The password is a nice touch, Professor Flitwick gave it to all the teachers at lunch,” she explained, walking in. Scorpius let himself relax.

“Thank you, Professor.” He climbed down from the desk and joined Molly and Jenny on the sofa. Albus sat next to him, resting his head on his shoulder. Professor Reus sat in the armchair opposite.

“You know, I’m really proud of all of you for this. It’s a wonderful idea, it’s a wonder no one’s done it before.”

“That’s because no one’s as kind as our Scorp,” Albus praised, taking his hand and linking their fingers. Scorpius smiled down at him.

“I just want to make a difference,” he spoke. “If I can make one person’s life better, that’s enough.” Albus stroked a thumb along his knuckles.

“Then you already succeeded,” he replied. Scorpius couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips.

“So, what’s the plan to spread the word?” Jenny asked, looking upon them with a proud beam.

“We’re holding a meeting here on Friday after dinner. I’ve already asked the teachers to keep an eye out on students they think might be being bullied or left out and have told them to inform them of this informal meeting taking place, telling them about what the club aims to do. The four of us will do similar things. Intervene on bullying situations, look out for people in our common rooms who may be being left out, things like that. Invite people we think may be vulnerable to this meeting.”

“Sounds good to me. We could use our prefect rounds to help, too.” Jenny affirmed, and Molly nodded.

“Seems like you have it all figured out. I’ll leave you to it,” Professor Reus said, sending Scorpius a smile before exiting the previously-abandoned classroom.

Scorpius pulled the piece of parchment from his trouser pocket of all the potential names and allowed himself a moment to mull it over.

_Names for the club._

_Founders:_

_Jenny, Albus, Molly, Scorpius (JAMS)_

  1. _~~Hogwarts Loners’ Society (HLS)~~ **(We said no to this, Scorpius)**_
  2. _Protecting Others Against Bullying (POAB)_
  3. _Hogwarts Protection Club (HPC) **– HPC sounds like a foot disease. (Gross, Jen.)**_
  4. _Hogwarts Hideaway_
  5. _Taking a Stance (TAS)_
  6. _Stand Up To Bullying (SUTB)_
  7. _~~Losers Den~~ **(really Albus?)**_
  8. _Hogwarts Unity Society (HUS)_
  9. _Uniting Together Against Bullying (UTAB)_
  10. _Together Against Bullying (TAB)_
  11. _United We Stand - **(I don’t think so – Molly x)**_
  12. _Divided We Fall - **(Go away, Albus)**_



Scorpius smiled and looked around, taking in his surroundings. A week ago this classroom would have never been able to be used. Now it’s fully-functional and relaxing to look at. He let himself be proud of everything he’s achieved so far and excited for everything he will achieve in the future.

Room 3.14, home to the Red Sparks Society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me SO long to come up with a name for this club that the writing process was on hold for like 2 weeks. But, I found one and I hope ya'll think it's a good one!
> 
> Drawing by secretlydreamingofgansey above, with a nice little intro to Jenny in her drawings! :)
> 
> Kudos and comments welcome, I'd love to hear your thoughts so far!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	5. Building a Family

Scorpius hid in the library whilst Albus went on his prefect round with some sixth-year called Joey in Ravenclaw. He had a lot of work to catch up on as he’d been so focused on the Red Sparks Society that he’d been avoiding his studies aside from classes. He had the weekend to catch up, but as the club meeting was taking place the next day, Friday was off-limits. He wanted to get as much done as possible.

Albus had promised to pick him up from the library at the end of his round, which finished just before the fifth-years curfew. That was still a whole two hours away and Scorpius could barely focus on his Herbology essay because he was so nervous about the next day. He hadn’t approached anyone personally about joining the club, but the Professors had informed him that they’d spoken to a couple of students who may be interested. That means that Scorpius may have a few new members, and he had no idea how to address them once he did.

Despite the anxiety, however, he was fairly excited. It was finally happening. The idea that birthed from him being cast aside by the Quidditch team because of his last name was now real. It was happening. He was about to have a home inside these walls. As was Albus, Molly, Jenny and any other potential students because of _him_.

The very thought made him tear up. None of it felt real, yet opening day was tomorrow. It _was_ real.

Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts by the opening of the library doors, followed by a heavy slam. As he was at the back of the library, tucked away enough that no one ever bothered him, he chose to ignore it, figuring it was some stupid students ready to play a trick on the librarian. He ignored it until a girl ran past him, faster than a flash of lightening and dove behind a bookshelf not far from him.

Scorpius looked around to see if anyone else was aware of her, and when no one came he decided to check it out for himself. He stood and walked slowly towards the bookshelf. He heard the loud sobs and gasps before he saw her and knew that feeling all too well. She was hiding. From who he didn’t know, but he’d had his fair share of running behind bookshelves to escape bullies. Most of them never liked the library, it was a safer (not completely safe) part of the castle.

Scorpius peeked around the bookshelf. There was a small girl, no older than eleven – a first year – with her knees tucked to her chest in red robes that were too big for her. Her black hair pooled around her face and shoulders. It was so long it was near-touching the floor. Scorpius walked on silent feet, careful not to startle her.

“A-are you okay?” He asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. The girl jumped a near mile, quickly collecting her things and about to run in the other direction. “No, wait,” Scorpius called, and she stopped. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The girl sniffed, looking at him through her curtained black hair. Her eyes were dark too, almost the same shade as her hair.

“I’m Scorpius,” he offered, standing with one arm outstretched in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “What’s your name?” The girl dropped her school bag and sniffed again. Scorpius took a hesitant step towards her. She never backed up, and Scorpius saw that as a victory.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Scorpius said when it looked like she wasn’t going to speak. “Were you hiding from someone?” Slowly, and ever so slightly, the girl nodded. She lifted her head slightly, so her hair wasn’t blocking as much of her face. “I come here to hide, too.” She perked at that.

“You do?” She sniffed.

Scorpius nodded, “All the time. I’m hiding now.”

“From who?” She asked. Scorpius stepped another step closer and sent her a reassuring smile. She returned it, and Scorpius felt a wave of victory go through him. Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be as bad as he thought it would be.

“Everyone,” he shrugged. “People don’t like me very much.” Scorpius decided to sit down, crossed legged on the floor. The girl followed, mirroring his position. She had moved her long hair more now, her eyes a little brighter. Scorpius could see how bloodshot they were this close, and her nose was painted red from her rubbing it so much to stop the sniffles. He wanted to wrap her in a hug and protect her from everyone who'd ever hurt her.

“Why not?”

“They think I’m Voldemort’s son,” Scorpius shrugged again. The girl barely flinched, and Scorpius guessed she never had close connections in the war. That, or she was muggle-born and hadn’t heard much about it. She wouldn’t have covered the war in History of Magic just yet.

“The evil one?” Scorpius nodded. “I don’t think he could have a nice son,” she smiled at him. Scorpius smiled as well, remembering similar words coming from Albus a year previous.

“My boyfriend said that to me once.” She smiled at him genuinely, a little proudly Scorpius thought. Silence fell between them. The girls eyes averted from him to behind him and Scorpius panicked for a moment, thinking there was someone behind him. She turned her gaze back to him and smiled again.

“Daisy… my name’s Daisy,” she spoke.

“That’s very pretty,” he complimented. “Are you okay now?”

She sniffed again but nodded her head. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, so Scorpius conjured a tissue for her with his wand. She took it gratefully and blew her nose.

“They think I don’t belong at Hogwarts because I’m not very good at magic,” she sniffed. Scorpius guessed ‘they’ meant the people who had chased her into hiding. “I’m a muggle-born a-and-” she faltered, another wave of tears overcoming her.

“You’re still learning, Daisy. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Acting on instinct, Scorpius shuffled slightly closer and held his arms out. She hesitated for a moment, before jumping at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. It was one of those awkward sitting-down hugs, but she seemed content to sob in his arms.

Scorpius rubbed her back as she shook, waiting for her to calm herself down before saying anything else. If all she needed was a hug – and she’d clearly been deprived on that since starting Hogwarts – then Scorpius was happy to oblige. He wondered where her friends were, or if she even had any. Scorpius only had Albus because he had been lucky that first day on the train to meet someone who would overlook his heritage. He was even luckier when that person happened to be a Potter.

When she finally calmed she pulled away slowly, her black hair falling back in front of her face and muttered an apology. Scorpius’ heart ached for her. He knew that feeling all too well. He had walked in her shoes. Maybe not directly. They were hated for different reasons, but he remembers too many of the nights hiding in the library or behind closed curtains and sobbing until his lungs hurt.

“You know, my best friend, he wasn’t very good at magic either when we first started. People bullied him for it, too. He got nicknamed ‘The Slytherin Squib’ and that nickname has stuck all the way to our fifth-year. He’s half-blood, and now he’s great at magic. You just have to believe in yourself. Your blood status does not determine your ability. You’re here, at Hogwarts – the best school for witchcraft and wizardry. Someone wanted you here, and that makes you a good witch.”

“Thanks, Scorpius,” Daisy said, wiping her nose again as she sniffled.

“Daisy, I would like to invite you to something,” he started. She looked at him, perplexed. “The first official meeting of the Red Sparks Society, tomorrow night after dinner on the third floor, room 3.14.”

“What is it?” She asked, the same look of confusion plastered on her face.

“A club… my club. A society built to protect those who are bullied or cast aside for being different.”

“Scorpius?” A voice called, belonging to the only person who would ever come looking for him: Albus.

“Bookshelf,” he called back. He turned slightly, enough to see Albus come around the corner with a wide smile, which quickly turned to confusion upon seeing Scorpius’ company. Albus took slow steps towards them before dropping down and planting a kiss on Scorpius’ cheek.

“Everything okay?” He asked, eyeing Daisy then giving her a comforting smile. The tension was visibly released from her shoulders, clearly noticing Albus was no one to fear.

Scorpius nodded. “Is your round over? Is it that late?”

Albus shook his head. “James let me and Joey finish early and started his round early, though I think it’s because he wants to spend more time with Corey. Seriously, the Head Boy and Head Girl is the biggest cliché and of course James plays into it.” Albus turned to Daisy. “Hi, I’m Albus,” he held his hand out. Daisy eyed it warily before deciding to shake it.

“Daisy,” she mumbled.

“Dursley?” Albus asked, confusion and surprise laced in his tone. Scorpius eyed him with his own confused look. Daisy, equally perplexed, nodded. “I’m Albus Potter. You’re my cousin, right?” How many bloody cousins did Albus have?

“Yeah, dad said something about you coming here,” Daisy mumbled.

“I didn’t know Uncle Dudley had a magical child.” Albus turned to Scorpius, eyeing his confused look. “Dad doesn’t talk to Uncle Dudley much. Me, James and Lily have never met him and thus, never met Daisy,” he explained. Scorpius nodded. Daisy only shrugged in response, clearly still nervous about their new addition to the conversation.

“What time is it?” She asked, directing her question to Scorpius but it was Albus who answered.

“A little after eight.”

“Oh, curfew was over ages ago,” she panicked quickly standing and gathering her belongings. She threw her bag over her shoulder and yelped when her hair got trapped between the strap and her shoulder. Scorpius stood quickly and helped her untangle from the mess.

“It’s fine,” Scorpius assured once she was out of her predicament. “We’ll walk you back to Gryffindor and if we get caught by the prefects, we’ll tell them I was with you for some tutoring, approved by the teachers,” Scorpius said, already prepared to lie in case they bumped into James. It would have been fine if Albus was still on duty, but it was typical that James let him go early.

“That will work?” She asked in disbelief.

“It will if Albus tells them,” he spoke, eyeing Albus.

“Scor,” Albus scolded and raised his eyebrow. Scorpius turned to him with wide puppy-eyes. Eyes he knew Albus could never resist. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, holding a finger in warning.

“Please, Al,” he begged, biting half of his bottom lip. Albus eyed his lips, then looked back his eyes and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s go.” Scorpius kissed his cheek as a thank you and gestured for them both to follow. Scorpius went back to the desk and quickly gathered his things.

Together, Albus and Scorpius walked Daisy back to the Gryffindor common room. Scorpius spoke most of the way to Daisy, in which she occasionally inputted. Albus stayed mostly silent, holding his hand the whole way up to Gryffindor Tower. They made it there without a run-in from James and Corey – luckily – which meant Albus couldn’t be mad at him for making him lie. A relief really. It was exhausting when Albus was mad at him. It was a rarity, but when it happened, Scorpius hated it.

“So, you’ll come tomorrow?” Scorpius asked as they reached the portrait. Daisy eyed him for a moment before looking down, twiddling her thumbs. For a moment, Scorpius thought she was going to say no and prepared himself for disappointment. However, she looked up and nodded slightly, almost as though she regretted it as soon as she agreed. Scorpius hoped she wouldn’t regret it tomorrow and the club would be everything she was looking for.

“Thank you, again, Scorpius.” She smiled and hugged him, which took Scorpius by surprise. When she pulled away, she smiled shyly at Albus before turning to the portrait and saying the password. She disappeared into the portrait tunnel and the Fat Lady shut the door behind her.

Albus and Scorpius turned away, but Scorpius caught the tail end of Albus’ confused expression he threw his way. So, on the way down to the dungeons, Scorpius explained how he came across Daisy and the events that happened in their short conversation. Albus was smiling at him fondly by the end and made some comment about the RSS having at least one member other than the four founders. Scorpius made a comment about how it was _another_ one of his cousins.

Once in their dorm, they went about their nightly routine. Scorpius opted for showering tonight, but Albus said he’d rather shower in the morning. Scorpius reminded him that meant getting up earlier and sure enough, Albus changed his mind and showered that night. Scorpius was already dressed in pyjamas and reading a book in bed when Albus emerged from the bathroom in nothing but jogging bottoms.

Scorpius’ attention was immediately turned from his book to his half-naked boyfriend, who immediately dropped himself on his side next to Scorpius and closed his eyes. Scorpius took it upon himself to put his book down and close the curtains with a flick of his wand. He shuffled down so he was lying face-to-face with Albus and smiled. Albus opened one eye at the movement, and an uncontrollable smile appeared on his lips.

“Hey,” Scorpius said.

“Hey. Nervous for tomorrow?”

Scorpius let out a long sigh and nodded. “Very. Thank you, for sticking by me. I know you weren’t particularly keen on the idea in the beginning and you were apprehensive, but I’m really glad that you came around and stuck by me even when I got a little crazy and went AWOL most days and-”

He was cut off by Albus’ lips on his. It was Albus’ newfound way of getting him to shut up whenever he went off on a ramble. Scorpius didn’t mind, he would take kissing Albus over not being able to shut his stupid mouth. He knew he talked too much, but sometimes he couldn’t help it. Scorpius followed Albus’ lips as he rolled onto his back, placing himself awkwardly on Albus’ chest.

He adjusted his position, careful not to break their kiss, so he was more comfortable, pulling one of his legs over Albus so he was half straddling him. Albus chuckled into the kiss, Scorpius could feel it vibrate against his chest. Albus’ hands went to his back and underneath his nightshirt, roaming around on bare skin. He gripped a little too hard and Scorpius lost what balance he had on his elbows and crashed into his chest. He let out an embarrassing ‘oomph’ which caused Albus to laugh so hard he broke the kiss.

Once Albus settled down, he looked back at Scorpius with that cheeky grin that always made his heart melt. “You’re in quite the compromising position,” he raised his eyebrows.

Scorpius raised his own eyebrows in return. “ _I’m_ in the compromising position? You’re in the perfect position for me to just,” Scorpius pulled himself up and wiggled his fingers threateningly at him. Albus’ eyes widened in fear.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“Scorpius.”

“Albus.”

In a second, Scorpius had been flipped over and he and Albus had switched positions. It happened so fast that Scorpius barely registered it until he was on his back and Albus’ hands were tickling his sides. Scorpius squirmed and screamed, but he was pinned down by Albus’ thighs.

“Al – Al – Albus,” he spoke between breaths. “I’m sorry – okay – please.” Albus stopped.

“You started it.”

“I know and I’m sorry, please I’m sorry,” he held his hands out, ready to grab Albus’ wrist should he try to tickle him again.

“Don’t mess with a boy who grew up with _James_ as a brother,” Albus threatened. Scorpius nodded furiously, desperate to agree with anything he says as long as he doesn’t tickle him again.

Scorpius always get bruises from being tickled, his skin was that fair. Especially if someone squeezed his sides too hard in the process. When he was younger, his dad used to tickle him all the time. He had to stop once he realised how easily Scorpius bruised, more out of fear he was hurting him. Scorpius was a tiny child – curtesy of his mother’s illness. Albus dropped off him and they resumed their previous position of facing each other on their sides.

 _That was new,_ Scorpius thought. They were still learning boundaries on their new relationship, and _that_ had certainly never happened before. Deciding to test their new boundaries, Scorpius started tracing patterns on Albus’ bare chest (another new progression of the night) as he mumbled on about something his family did over the summer. Scorpius was only half-listening, but only because he’d heard the story before. Instead, he let his hand trace random patterns whilst he looked at Albus recite the story. He loved watching him in moments like this. He was more animated, his eyes lit up with joy and amazement, mouth moving too fast that it almost didn’t seem like Albus’ mouth moving.

Scorpius shuffled closer, once again testing their boundaries. His eyes fell from Albus’s eyes down to his own hand and traced the only thing he could think of in that moment. With Albus open and honest, looking at Scorpius in a way that made his heart melt, Scorpius could only think of one thing: love. He loved him, truly and totally. So, carefully, he traced the words “I love you,” over his chest, finishing it with what would have been a badly drawn heart had it been on parchment.

Albus froze mid-sentence, clearly realising the words Scorpius had traced on his chest. He stared at Scorpius for a long time. Scorpius could feel his eyes on him, but he kept his own on his hands, which now lay useless on the bed. When Scorpius finally did look up, Albus smiled at him, wholly and honestly, and kissed him fiercely. Fiercer than he had ever kissed him before.

It took Scorpius by complete surprise. He half expected Albus to chuck him out (even though it was Scorpius’ bed) and preach about how it was far too soon, and they were far too young to be feeling things as strong as _love._ But, he didn’t. He did the exact opposite and when he pulled away and said three words, Scorpius thought he could die happily right there and then.

“I love you,” he spoke, exasperated. Scorpius had never smiled so widely before, no doubt making his eyes go all crinkly and weird. He caught Albus in another short kiss before settling back down.

They stared at each other for a long time, content with staring into the universes held in the others’ eyes. Scorpius wondered exactly how he got so lucky to, not only be friends with, but also _date_ a boy as kind and loving as Albus Potter. Sure, he may be surly and grumpy on the outside, but he was also the nicest person Scorpius had ever met, with the biggest heart. He was proud to call Albus his boyfriend and best friend. He was proud to be in love with him.

“Al,” he spoke, getting a hummed response. “Will you… er – can you…” he trailed off, struggling to find the words because they were utterly embarrassing.

“Can I…?” He asked.

“Maybe – erm – c-cuddle me?” Albus let out a chuckle, but it wasn’t one of teasing or trying to be mean, it was one of fondness.

“Of course I can,” he responded. “Turn over.” Scorpius obliged, turning onto his other side, facing the curtain rather than Albus. Albus struggled for a moment to pull the duvet from under them in order to place it over them, but eventually won the battle. Scorpius heard him mutter a silencing charm – a key part of their night in case either had a nightmare. Eventually, Albus settled himself against Scorpius, pressing his chest against Scorpius’ back and wrapping his arms around him. Albus pulled him closer and entwined their legs.

At first, Scorpius was quite tense, but he let himself relax into Albus. They fit like two pieces of a puzzle and he knew that the universe had been waiting for them to reconnect. Things had always felt like that with Albus. Albus was the moon to his sun, the night to his day, the yin to his yang, the dark to his light. Albus was everything. They fit together because they needed each other to function.

They had been through a lot together and had been through a lot separately which only brought them closer. When Scorpius was in the dark world, it was Albus who was his guiding light. Albus who he thought about to get rid of the dementors. Albus who he gave up his kingdom for. It was always Albus. It always had been Albus from the moment they stepped foot on that train. Even then, Scorpius knew Albus would be in his life forever. It was like finding something he’d been looking for after a long time.

They settled into sleep together, tucked in each other’s arms. Albus’ hot breath against his neck, nose nuzzled against him. Their hands entwined like every other limb. They were content, and Scorpius couldn’t think of a better place to be in the world than right here with Albus, in his arms and listening to him breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked meeting Daisy! I love the idea of Dudley's child being magical so here we are! 
> 
> Art of Daisy and Scorpius by my lovely artist, secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr).
> 
> I'm working all day today so would love any feedback you guys have so far to cheer me up :)  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> See you on thursday for the next chapter!


	6. The Red Sparks Society

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Kate (RoRoWeasley) for helping me come up with the motto for the RSS, it meant the world to me! 
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying this and thank you for the response so far! I would love to hear your thoughts so far!

Outside room 3.14 stood Albus, Molly and Jenny. Scorpius was there too, except he wasn’t stood. He was pacing. He wouldn’t stop pacing. Or, he couldn’t. He was too nervous, and excited. Albus caught Jenny’s eye and rolled his eyes, causing her to emit a soft chuckle. In fifteen minutes – and all being well – people would start showing up for the first official meeting of the Red Sparks Society.

It was a dramatic understatement to say Scorpius was nervous. Everything he’d built now relied on this moment. He couldn’t change someone’s life if those people never showed. He’d hardly slept the night before. Despite being wrapped in Albus’ arms for the first time and feeling more at peace than ever, he rose often and struggled to go back to sleep. Scorpius didn’t think Albus knew. But he did. Albus woke every time Scorpius did, almost as though it was second nature to check he was okay. When he never cried out like he would normally after a nightmare, Albus assumed he was nervous and excited and just held him closer till he fell back to sleep.

Albus – becoming anxious just watching Scorpius pace back and forth - stood in front of him. Scorpius barely saw him and fell into his arms to which Albus turned into a hug. Scorpius sighed against him but brought his arms up to wrap around Albus’ neck. They stood like that for a few moments, waiting for Scorpius’ heart to stop pounding so fast. Albus could feel it against his chest.

“Better?” He asked when Scorpius looked like he was calm enough. He nodded against him before pulling away, standing tall. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and looked anxiously down the hall.

“I’m just nervous,” he spoke before looking back at Albus.

“I know, it’ll be great,” Albus assured, reaching up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Scorpius’ ear. He smiled at him gratefully, which eventually turned into a bigger beam with his cheeks flushed. Albus thought he’d never looked more beautiful. His grey eyes glistened in the nearby candlelight and his smile lit up the dimmed corridor.

After a moment of just staring at each other, Albus drew up onto his tiptoes a pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. He was consciously aware of Jenny and Molly watching them but found that he didn’t care all that much. When he pulled back onto flat feet, Scorpius was redder than before.

“What was that for?” Scorpius asked.

“Just because you’re beautiful… and because I can,” Albus replied.

“You think I’m b-beautiful?”

“Of course, Scor, have you seen yourself?” Albus asked, breaking the romantic tension and opting for a humorous tone. He dramatically gestured to Scorpius, causing him to roll his eyes and chuckle slightly.

“You’re welcome,” Molly said, drawing their attention to her.

“For what, Mols?” Albus asked.

“Getting you two together,” she said as though it was obvious.

“How did you do that?” Jenny asked, a slight friendly challenge.

Molly turned to Jenny with a playful smile. “I have been flirting with Scorpius since last year to try and get Albus to realise and admit his feelings.”

“Oh yeah, that’s why you were flirting with the hottest guy in school,” Jenny spoke, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

“Hottest guy?” Scorpius squeaked, then thought about what was actually said. “Wait, you were flirting with me?” Albus couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Scorpius was oblivious to subtle flirtatious actions, but Molly was never exactly subtle. Both the girls ignored him and Albus patted him on the shoulder when he pouted.

“Well, what did you do?” Molly asked. Albus weren’t sure if this was a genuine bicker or a friendly one but judging by their tones it was friendly. He hoped. The RSS couldn’t go down before it had even started.

“I got Albus to confess his feelings to me, which in turn then meant he could express them to Scorpius.”

Scorpius leaned in close to Albus to whisper, “should we tell them I made the first move and it has nothing to do with them?” He asked.

“Nah, let them play it out,” Albus replied, happily watching the two girls playfully bicker.

“But Albus would never have known about them if not for me,” Molly responded.

Albus perked at that. “Hey, I’m not _that_ oblivious to my own feelings, you know?” Scorpius patted his shoulder like Albus did before. Both girls turned to them, shooting Albus a look which could only mean: _really?_ Scorpius let out a little giggle before wrapping his arms around Albus’ shoulders and pulling him in for a hug.

Albus blocked the girls out as they continued their bickering, basking in the warmth of his boyfriend and letting himself drown in his arms. Before they got together, Albus thought he was okay just being friends with Scorpius. But now, he realises that he would have been miserable if Scorpius Malfoy remained only his friend. Having him to himself, knowing Scorpius was his and no one else’s, knowing that those little smiles and hugs were meant for him and only him, Albus was the happiest he’s been in a long time.

Not to mention the fact that his family have welcomed Scorpius as his boyfriend with open arms. They protect him as though he’s one of them. It took Albus a long time to accept he was a Potter-Weasley, and now he couldn’t be prouder of who he was. Neither had yet told their parents, but all Draco ever wanted was for Scorpius to be happy, and his parents were opened minded and accepting. Albus had no doubts that their parents would be just as accepting.

“Excuse me?”

A small, timid voice snapped Albus from his thoughts, and Scorpius from his side. Scorpius jumped a near mile, clearly not expecting the interruption (even though they were waiting for people to join them). Albus turned and was met with a boy, not much smaller than Scorpius. At first glance, Albus would say he was in his third year, a blue Ravenclaw tie round his neck and matching robes falling from his shoulder. His brown hair was a mess atop his head, falling into his eyes. Albus knew that look too well, he was trying to hide.

Scorpius plastered on a beam, which – if he were anyone else – would have seemed fake. But this was Scorpius, and it was very obvious how genuine it was. “Yes, hi, hello.” He waved awkwardly, before clasping his hands in front of him. The other boy noticeably smiled, instantly feeling at ease. Scorpius – if you let him – could have that effect on people.

“Your Scorpius Malfoy, right? This is the place for the club?” He asked, crinkling his robes in his hands.

“Yes, hi. Welcome. What’s your name?”

“Asa,” the boy replied.

“I’m Scorpius… well, you know that, but – yeah. This is Albus, Molly and Jenny,” Scorpius explained, pointing at each person in turn. Albus gave a wave and what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wasn’t as good at this being friendly thing as Scorpius was.

Just as Scorpius was about to burst into some story that would no doubt make the boy feel even more at ease, Daisy Dursley rounded the corner. Albus reminded himself to send his dad an angry letter about not informing him that his cousin had started Hogwarts – and in Gryffindor! No doubt James and Lily would be just as fuming. They would have protected her even without knowing her, and there would be no need for her to be at this club meeting.

Scorpius never got around to greeting her properly, as another two girls appeared, looking just as nervous as Asa and Daisy. One was clad in Slytherin robes, the other in Hufflepuff and were holding hands as they approached. They, too, asked the same question as Asa, receiving the same answer from an enthusiastic Scorpius, who was growing giddier as each new person appeared. They waited five more minutes in the hall, in which another boy in Gryffindor showed, before Scorpius went on the explain the club.

He only did a brief explanation, stating the purpose of the club and if everyone there wants to be involved. After a few nods, he turned to the door and muttered the password, inviting everyone in. They sat around the fire on the various sofas. Albus could tell the anxiety was high, radiating from every person in the room apart from Molly and Jenny, it seemed. Scorpius, despite the high excitement, was still a bundle of nerves as usual, making Albus feel a little on edge.

“Okay, hi, welcome officially to the Red Sparks Society,” Scorpius said from his seat (he wouldn’t stand, he claims it’s too intimidating). He gestured happily to the banner hung above the fire that he and Jenny spent the better part of yesterday making. On it, in big red letters read: _Red Sparks Society_ , and underneath the motto that Molly helped craft: _Safe and Compassionate Area for Rallying Against Bullying._

“So, you all heard the password to the door, but if you forget it ask any of us. Please, please, do not share the password with anyone outside the club. Any new members will have to come to me for the password as this is a safe place and we don’t want anyone’s bullies gaining access. I want this place to be a safe place for all of you, a place you can go to when you don’t feel safe anywhere else. You can eat in here, do your homework or anything. However, of course, you have to return to your dorms at curfew as usual, there’s only so much I can protect you from.

“How about we start by going around and saying our names and maybe why you’re here… actually, scrap that last part. I don’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable in here, unless you want to. This place is supposed to feel like home and everyone in here is supposed to feel like family, so how about a fact about ourselves?” Scorpius looked to the small group and received a fair few nods. Albus grabbed his hand and decided to speak up.

“I’ll start,” he said, gaining a grateful smile from Scorpius. “I’m Albus, I’m here because my incredible boyfriend is the kindest person in the world and I wanted to support him in making this club,” Albus winked and Scorpius blushed the brightest of reds. “And a fun fact about me, I fell off my training broom when I was three and have been terrified of flying ever since,” Albus finished with a smile and nod.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said. He looked among the group expectantly, eyebrows raised and a wide smile, offering silently for someone else to go. The girl next to Albus cleared her throat and leaned forward. It was one of the girls who approached holding hands, the one from Slytherin.

She pushed her black and blue hair behind out of her face and clasped her hands. “Hi, I’m Louisiana-”

“Like the state?” Jenny asked, interrupting her before quickly apologising.

“Exactly like the state, though please call me Ana,” she chuckled, rolling her eyes. Jenny smiled brightly at her and nodded. “I am here because me and my girlfriend have been getting bullied for being gay ever since we came out,” she took the hand of the Hufflepuff girl next to her, clearly feeling comfortably to do so after seeing Albus and Scorpius being so open with their affection. “A fun fact about me: I dye my hair black to cover up a grey patch I was born with.”

The girl next to her leaned forward. “My name is Emily, I’m here for the same reason as Ana, obviously. Fun fact: my dad cried when I came out because he always wanted a second daughter, and now he’ll be able to have one,” she smiled at her girlfriend, squeezing her hand. The group let out a collective ‘aw’ and Albus could have sworn Scorpius was on the verge of tears. Jenny was holding her hands to her chest with an adoring look on her face. Albus could only imagine how brave they must have been to come out, they were easily the year below him. It was not an easy task.

They moved around the group to the last boy who had arrived, who shyly sat forward. Judging by his demeanour, Albus guessed he was a first year. “I’m – er-” he cleared his throat. “Ali and-” he paused again.

“Take your time,” Scorpius assured, looking at him with a warmth in his big grey eyes that only Scorpius Malfoy could achieve.

Ali nodded and took a deep breath. “Fun fact, I have a pet toad name Puppy.”

“Puppy?” Molly asked with a warm smile. Ali nodded. “That’s a cute name.”

“Thank you.”

Daisy sat forward, clearly noticing her turn. She looked more confident than the day Albus met her in the library, when she was in tears in Scorpius’ arms. “I’m Daisy, I’m here because Scorpius told me about it when he found me running from my bullies yesterday. He said this could be a safe place for me, and I believe him,” she smiled at him, and the tears in his eyes grew.

Albus knew exactly what he was thinking: _it’s working._ This club was growing, protecting it’s members all because of him. They were tears of pride, of hurt that so many people felt they needed protecting, but also of love. Albus could tell he loved every single person in this room already. There was a pureness to Scorpius Malfoy, a kindness. He saw good in everything and everyone. He wanted to make the world a better place, despite the pain and trauma he’s been through. The pain, the discrimination, the bullying, a lot of that would make any normal person angry. It would make them cower from the world, make them want to fight against it.

Not Scorpius. Scorpius embraced his pain and made it so other people would never feel the way he did. This cruel, despising world took and took and took from Scorpius Malfoy, and all he did was give back to it.

“Fun fact for me, I’m double-jointed in both my elbows,” she smiled and sunk back into her chair.

“I’m Asa, I’m here because I don’t feel like Hogwarts has ever been a home for me, and I would really like it to be,” Asa looked down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact. “Fun fact, I went to Disneyworld -“ next to Albus, Scorpius gasped excitedly – “when I was a kid, and I ate so much candyfloss I threw up on one of the rides.” There was a small chuckle from the group.

“I’m Molly, I’m here not only to support my friend, but also I’m a Weasley and people think that makes me automatically popular. But, people didn’t like it when I wasn’t like my cousins and kind of cast me aside, just like Albus. Fun fact, I once tried to prank my cousin James by slipping a pink hair-dye WWW product into his drink, turns out James loved having pink hair and continued using it for the entire summer until school started again.” She huffed and sat back, rolling her eyes. Her dramatic and outgoing behaviour caused everyone else to laugh, and even though she wasn’t as ‘Weasley’ as her cousins, it reminded Albus that she always would be a Weasley deep down.

Jenny waved enthusiastically to the group. “I’m Jenny, I am here to support Scorp and everyone else, to make sure everyone feels loved. I haven’t had discrimination against myself directly, but I’ve seen others do it to my friends and I don’t like that. If there’s ever an opportunity to protect the little guy, I’ll always be by your side. A fun fact, I am actually from Louisiana,” she smiled at Ana, who perked in her seat.

“No way,” Ana replied, a wide beam on her face.

“Yeah, how strange! Mum and I moved in the summer from there, now we live in boring Yorkshire,” she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face suggested she liked Yorkshire more than she let on.

“I’m from Yorkshire,” Emily beamed, suddenly perking now too. “Sorry, Scorpius, it’s your turn,” she said, leaning back in her seat.

“Oh, no worries,” Scorpius replied. “I’m Scorpius, as you all know. I can’t tell you why I’m here, but I’ll tell you why I made this club. Last week I tried out for the Slytherin Quidditch team and was rejected, not because of my lack of skill, but because my last name is Malfoy. Fletcher, the captain, didn’t want me ‘tainting the team’ or some rubbish like that, and so I was rejected. It’s not the first time I’ve been ridiculed for being born into a family I never asked to be born into, and it certainly won’t be the last. I knew there were others like me, so I wanted to help them. By helping them, you guys, maybe I could help myself too.”

“You can,” Daisy said. “I mean, you are.”

“You’re incredible,” Albus agreed, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

“Thanks.” Albus thought he’d explode judging by the heat in his cheeks. He looked incredibly adorable. “Fun fact!” He near-shouted, bouncing in his seat. “I love, love, love, love, _love_ Disney movies! All of them, the musicals, the non-musicals, the animated and non-animated. If Disney made it, I probably love it. Though, the classics are definitely the best.”

“What’s your favourite?” Ana asked.

“Oh – erm, oh no,” Scorpius rubbed his eyes, thinking hard.

“Asking Scorp to pick a favourite movie? You may just have broken him,” Albus joked to Ana. Scorpius shoved him, telling him to shut up. Albus laughed.

“OH!” Scorpius exclaimed, standing up in his excitement. “Which is the one we watched at yours over the summer?” Scorpius asked, tapping Albus on the shoulder repeatedly.

“Scorp, we watched loads! Hercules?”

“Nope.”

“Beauty and the Beast?”

“Classic, but no.”

“Cinder-”

“MULAN! Mulan, Mulan is my favourite, easy.”

“It’s that good he forgot the name,” Molly teased, grabbing his hand to sit him back down. Scorpius pouted and the group around started laughing along with Molly’s joke.

“Can you go back to flirting with me? You were nicer then,” Scorpius teased back, a surprisingly quick and witty response from him. Molly seemed to think so too, judging by her faux-shocked face and inability to form a comeback. Luckily, Jenny was quick.

“You didn’t even notice she was flirting.”

“That’s because I have a childlike innocence to me,” Scorpius nodded and folded his arms, as though that was the end of the discussion. Albus decided it’d be fun to get involved and wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ waist, half-hugging him.

“Yeah, that’s why he asked me in the most nervous way to 'c-cuddle' him last night,” Albus teased, imitating Scorpius’ shy voice on the word ‘cuddle’.

Scorpius wiggled out of his grip, standing from the sofa and walking around the back of it. “You know, this is supposed to be a bullying-free zone,” he said in faux-annoyance. “Honestly, can none of you read? _Safe and Compassionate Area for Rallying Against Bullying._ ” He underlined the sign above the fireplace, shaking his head then folding his arms.

“Are you mad, Scorpius?” Daisy teased, getting involved.

“Wow, now you’ve got Daisy involved. See, you guys are bad influences.” Jenny and Molly eyed each other, then looked at Daisy. The three then burst into laughter, followed shortly by Albus, Emily and Ana. Ali rolled his eyes – this was the first time Albus had seen him do something other than stare at the floor. Ali confidently stood and walked over to Scorpius, standing in front of him and folding his arms.

“I stand with Scorpius,” he beamed, and Scorpius smiled, wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

“At least I have one ally,” Scorpius said.

Asa stood and walked over to them, standing next to Scorpius. “Two allies.”

“Wow,” Albus said through his giggles. “One meeting and we’re already torn in two,” he joked.

Then, Scorpius, Ali and Asa joined in on the laughter too, unable to control themselves for much longer. It wasn’t until they all finally settled down naturally did Ana decide to bring up a more serious topic.

“Scorpius?” She started, catching his boyfriends attention instantly. Scorpius looked up at her, eyes wide, looking a little like a deer in headlights. “So, you want us to protect each other, but how do we do that? It’s hard to fight when the fight isn’t fair.”

Scorpius looked down at the floor. He clearly hadn’t got that far. Those words rang in Albus’ ear: _it’s hard to fight when the fight isn’t fair._ But that’s just it, isn’t it? The fight is never fair. There is always a stronger side, always a side that has more leeway. This club is simply made up of nine insecure kids, searching for a light in the darkness and only now just finding it. They were not the strong side. If they were, they wouldn’t need this club in the first place.

But that didn’t matter, Albus realised. They have each other now. Maybe that’s all they needed.

“We don’t have to fight,” Scorpius finally said, raising his head from the floor. “We just do things differently. We don’t turn away when we see other kids being bullied, whether they are a member of this club or not. We have to protect each other because no one else bothers doing that. The teachers don’t care, the bullies certainly do not, but I do. We do. We’re here for a reason, and we may not be able to fight every battle, but we can try if it means protecting our own. We come here, and we talk about our days, we help each other through the pain and heartache. We be a family, and that’s the best kind of fight there is.”

Scorpius slowly stood as he recited his monologue. Albus always admired the way his brain worked, the way he could talk as though everyone in the world was listening. Albus was sure that if given the opportunity, Scorpius could have the world falling at his feet with those eloquent words. He deserved to be heard, every single damn day.

The small group erupted into applause, showing appreciation for the boy who had brought them together. Scorpius was right, there was a strength in numbers, strength in family. If these people were going to become Albus’ best friends, then he would never trade them for the world.

The fight isn’t fair. But, it’s their fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll enjoyed meeting the rest of my OCs and the members of the RSS that I would happily die for.  
> In the art (by secretlydreamingofgansey), we have:  
> Top row (left to right): Albus, Scorpius, Louisiana (Ana) and Emily  
> Middle row (left to right): Jenny, Molly and Asa  
> Bottom row (left to right): Daisy and Ali
> 
> Let me know what you think!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> See you on monday!


	7. The Makings of a Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello from Greece! Hope you guys are proud I'm still updating on my holidays :D
> 
> This next two chapters work as snippets of passing time, just a heads up. Enjoy!
> 
> Trigger warnings for a panic attack! Also some homophobic language used!

“So, if the Tri-Wizard Tournament returned, would you put your name forward?” Ana asked, eyeing the group carefully.

“Only seventeen-year olds are allowed to enter,” Asa reminded.

“Scrap that, this is a fictional scenario,” she replied.

The group fell silent whilst debating their answers. The Red Sparks Society were sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast that morning. In the three weeks they’d been formed, they had grown considerably close. Within a week, almost everyone was using classroom 3.14 regularly. By the second week, they began joining each other at their house tables for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They would walk back to their common rooms in groups (sometimes Albus and Scorpius would walk Daisy and Ali back as they’re only first years and the only two in Gryffindor).

As of yet, they haven’t had any new members, but they are all on the look-out. Scorpius noticed that if they were all together, the bullying lessoned and therefore they tried to stick together as much as possible. It was nice, he thought, to have a whole new set of friends. He loved having Albus before, but now he had Albus _and_ was helping other people feel comfortable. Feel like they had a genuine family. He was proud of himself, and Scorpius had never really been proud of anything he’d done before.

Sure, his grades were fine. In fact, better than fine. Scorpius was top of his class in every subject, but he always felt like he could do better. So, pride was something he’d never applied to himself. Until now, that is.

“I’d enter,” Ali said. Ali had really come out of his shell. At the first meeting, he was shy and timid. It took just over a week to get him to properly open up, but now he openly joked about with the rest of the group. It was nice to watch his growth. “The odds of getting picked are fairly slim anyway, so why not?”

“You could die,” Molly inputted, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Though, I admit, if my aunt could do it, then I think I could. We’re a lot alike.”

Albus scoffed. “No, you’re not,” he teased. “Auntie Fleur is _nice_ ,” he winked at her.

“Piss off, Albus,” she screwed up a napkin and threw it in his direction. Albus narrowly avoided it, nearly knocking heads with Jenny as he moved so quickly.

“I would,” Albus said, going back to the original conversation. Scorpius looked at him in shock, a single eyebrow raised. “What?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged it off. Truthfully, he didn’t think Albus would want anything to do with such an event given their recent (time) travels. Scorpius certainly never wanted to think about a Tri-Wizard Tournament again for as long as he shall live, let alone partake in one. Then again, Scorpius knew exactly why Albus would put his name forward: because his dad had. Scorpius could hear him saying it now, before the words had even left Albus’ mouth: _“If dad can do it, so can I.”_

It was admirable, really. If not a little misguided.

“I would as well,” Jenny replied, fiddling with her Hufflepuff tie. She had overslept and nearly missed breakfast. And by overslept, she hadn’t really overslept at all. She just was out of bed five minutes later than usual and it panicked her. Scorpius had learnt that Jenny likes routine, and when that routine breaks, it becomes a problem for her. Scorpius understood that in many ways. Change was a far too scary situation.

“I’d never,” Emily butted in, and next to her, Daisy nodded along. She probably didn’t know what it was, or had heard much about it, but that was scary in itself. Plus, Molly had mentioned death earlier in the conversation.

“Scor?” Ana asked, clearly noting he’d been fairly quiet. He looked up from his breakfast with a questioning look. “Would you?”

He attempted to smile, but really the events of last year still weighed heavily on him. They haunted him like a ghost, around each corner ready to strike when he least expected. He thought he’d be over it by now, but he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever fully recover. His sleep was still fragmented, clouded with nightmares every night. And if his wasn’t, Albus’ was. Sometimes, he had dreams of the parts that were the least scary, like when Albus broke his arm twenty years in the past and the cracking rang through his ears.

They weren’t scary moments compared to the rest, but sometimes they crept back through into his brain. Scorpius, just now remembering, made a mental note to ask Albus how his arm felt. Madam Pomfrey struggled mending a twenty-year-old broken bone left to settle. Scorpius still wasn’t sure what exactly caused that to happen. He’d have to do some research into it.

“For obvious reasons, no,” he finally replied after what seemed like a long silence. He turned back to his breakfast, a feeling of queasiness overcoming him. He pushed his bowl away from him and tried to tune back into the conversation.

Ana was stating the reasons why she would enter the tournament, stating about how the danger of death would be completely worth it if she won. That’s a big _if,_ Scorpius thought. Truth be told, he couldn’t focus all that much. The memories swarmed through his brain, as they did often these days.

Scorpius drummed his fingers on the table, desperate to focus on the tapping rather than the droning voices of the great hall. The constant chatter blurred into one, not even Ana’s voice standing out anymore as she dramatically fought for everyone’s attention. Everyone’s but Scorpius’. His breathing was becoming strained, and he knew he needed to get out. To find somewhere he could breathe but his legs wouldn’t move. Actually, they would, just not in the direction he needed. Instead, his knee was at a constant jigging, not helping calm his beating heart.

 _You’re being stupid,_ he scolded himself. Scorpius closed his eyes, stopping his drumming in favour of palming the heel of his hand in his eyes. Behind closed eyelids, the memories got worse. He saw the flash of red of the Cruciatus Curse flying towards him, Delphi’s cackle as his screams overwhelmed him. They were on the Quidditch Pitch, moments away from travelling back to the third and final task.

A hand touching his arm scared him half to death, causing him to flinch out of the bench and onto the floor. He never moved, only pulled his legs to himself and ran trembling hands through his hair.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe, fucking breathe._

But he couldn’t. No matter how many times he told himself to, he could not get a single breath in.

The droning got louder, buzzing in and out of his ears. The sensory overload drove him over the edge.

He could vaguely feel someone’s hands wrapped around his wrist, the faint voice trying to penetrate his walls. But he couldn’t focus.

 _Stop it,_ he cried to himself.

_Let me think, please._

_Please._

_Stop._

Delphi’s cackle.

Red flashing lights.

Green.

Silence.

Red.

Screaming.

Cackle.

Albus shouting for him.

Screaming.

Screaming.

Scream-

“Scor!”

He opened his eyes. Grey irises met intense green ones, full of worry and concern, piercing deep into his soul.

His breathing was still laboured, barely able to get a breath in at all. Albus’ hands were on his cheeks.

“Breathe with me, okay?” He instructed, and Scorpius could barely respond except nod. “Keep your eyes on me, okay? Breathe in. 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Out. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.” Albus counted, repeating the sequence for as long as he need. At first Scorpius struggled to keep up; however, focusing purely on Albus’ soothing voice, the numbers being counted and his breathing, he was able to bring himself down.

He nodded when he was ready and Albus stopped the repetition. He kept his hands on his cheeks, the tips brushing the edge of his hair slightly, waiting for Scorpius to come back to full attention. Scorpius had barely noticed the tears strolling down his cheeks until now, his eyes feeling more drained than they had before.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius managed, scolding himself for the random attack. He was very much aware of the rest of the RSS members eyes on him, all of them full of worry. Scorpius kept a lot of things about himself hidden, including his panic attacks.

They had started when his mum got really sick towards the end of her life, and he panicked that he’d one day have to face the world without her. They had grown in reasoning and intensity since then, for obvious reasons. The only person who knew how to bring him down was Albus. His father had tried a few times, especially when he woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare (which was when he was most prone to panic attacks) but had proven unsuccessful.

In the summer, Scorpius had a panic attack so bad that Draco had to take him to St. Mungos. He’d worked himself up into a panic so intense that there was no bringing him down, until the healers provided him with oxygen spells just before he managed to knock himself out. He had just calmed down, but the lack of oxygen in his brain caused his light-headedness to take over. When he woke, he hadn’t seen his dad look so worried and out-of-place since his mum died, and immediately felt guilty.

Albus didn’t actually know about that. He would no doubt scold Scorpius the day he finds out for not telling him.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Albus assured, leaning up to press a lingering kiss to his forehead. The gesture sent an immediate warmth through his veins.

Albus pulled Scorpius to his feet and they both reclaimed their spots on the bench. Scorpius avoided eye contact with the other members of the RSS, who had all fallen silent. There was a tension in the air that Scorpius hated that he created. The only thing stopping his mind from spiralling was Albus’ hand on his thigh, rubbing smooth circles aimlessly.

“I’m sorry, did I trigger something?” It was Ana who broke the silence.

Scorpius shook his head furiously. “No, Ana, no, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

There was another moment of silence that began eating away at Scorpius. It was the first time he’d felt awkward around his new group of friends. In any other situation, Scorpius would have ran from the Great Hall, but he felt compelled to stay there and play this out. Most people never knew how to react to anxiety, especially when it was so evident. Scorpius would be happy if they just forgot it ever happened at all. Which is why he was sincerely thankful when Jenny piped up with a playful smirk.

“If you could have dinner with one dead person, who would it be?”

“Bathilda Bagshot,” Scorpius answered immediately. Next to him, Albus mouthed the same words as Scorpius spoke, meaning an explosion of laughter erupted within the small group. All the previous tension melted away, making Scorpius feel a little lighter.

# 

Albus watched Scorpius with a giant beam on his face as Scorpius dramatically recalled the story of the last Christmas he’d shared with his grandparents before Draco shut them out for good. Scorpius was only young at the time but remembered it clearly and found the whole situation rather amusing.

He was walking backwards as he spoke, keeping Daisy and Ali’s attention with his elaborate hand gestures and rather exaggerated impressions of his grandfather. The two first-years were nearly in fits of giggles, and Albus – despite having heard the story a hundred times before – was struggling to hold back his laughter.

“And then,” Scorpius gasped, stopping dramatically in his tracks. “My father asked my grandfather to _leave,” –_ he started walking again – “and my grandfather responded with a very snobby tut, turned to face me and said, ‘there’s no hope for you now, boy’, and promptly left Malfoy Manor, never to be seen ag-”

A loud scream cut Scorpius off from his storytelling. Within seconds, Scorpius broke into a sprint in the direction of the scream. Ali and Daisy eyed Albus with a worried expression. Albus grabbed both their hands and pulled them in the same direction, not wanting to leave Scorpius alone, but not wanting to leave them behind either.

When Albus caught up, Scorpius was standing with his wand pointing threateningly at a Gryffindor boy in their year, looking every bit like his father with the fury in his eyes. Behind Scorpius was a small girl, no doubt in her first or second year. He was blocking her from the path of the Gryffindor and she look eternally grateful. Figuring Scorpius had the situation handled, Albus stayed back with Ali and Daisy.

“What’re you gonna do, faggot?” The other boy asked. Scorpius slightly winced at the insult, but his expression remained stoic.

“That dirty mouth of yours needs a clean,” Scorpius responded, holding his wand up to the boys mouth. “ _Scourgify,”_ he muttered. Within seconds, the boys mouth filled with soap, which he spluttered and coughed onto the floor. Scorpius took a bored step backwards to avoid it hitting his shoes.

Next to Albus, Ali and Daisy burst out laughing, watching the Gryffindor attempt to clear his mouth. He cast an _Augamenti_ which only made the suds worse and soaked his robes. Scorpius stood and watched with a straight face, arms folded sassily. Eventually, the boy ran off, choking on the suds and gasping for breath. He disappeared into the Gryffindor portrait hole down the corridor.

Scorpius instantly turned to face the small girl, who now seemed less frightened and more amused. He crouched down slightly to her height – Scorpius had grown an awful lot over the summer and still didn’t quite fit into his longer limbs – and smiled softly at her. Albus moved closer slightly to hear what Scorpius was saying.

“Was he giving you trouble?” He asked, voice low and gentle. The girl nodded sheepishly, eyes casting to the floor. “Stick with me, I won’t let anyone give you grief again,” he assured. He stood to his full height again and stuck his hand out. “I’m Scorpius.”

The girl eyed it warily before taking it and shaking his hand limply. “Cecelia – er, Sissy,” she spoke timidly.

“Nice to meet you, Sissy.” Scorpius looked over to Albus for the first time since he ran off and came to the girls aid, sending him a warm smile. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, an effect Scorpius had on him that he hoped would never fade. “These are my friends, Albus, Ali and Daisy,” he pointed to them in turn.

Daisy stepped forward, “I like your glasses,” she complimented. Sissy adjusted them slightly and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like me to walk to back to Ravenclaw tower?” Scorpius asked.

“Yes, please,” she replied. Scorpius nodded, explaining how he and Albus were walking Daisy and Ali back to Gryffindor in time for curfew when they heard her scream. She explained what the Gryffindor had been saying, and that he pushed her to floor which is when she screamed.

Daisy and Ali said their goodbyes to the three of them enthusiastically when they reached the Gryffindor portrait hole, claiming to see them the next morning at breakfast. Albus also dismissed himself, knowing it was close to the start of his prefect round with Molly. Scorpius gave him a gentle, chaste kiss goodbye, which Albus couldn’t help but smile into. He wondered if he would ever get used to kissing Scorpius, and silently hoped the feeling would last forever.

When Albus disappeared around the corner, Scorpius turned to Sissy with a big smile. “Ravenclaw Tower?” He asked, and she nodded. Scorpius turned in the direction and began walking, she followed. “Do you get bullied often?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes. I try to keep to the common room, it happens less there.”

“I made a club for people like us,” Scorpius said as he climbed the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower.

“Us?”

“People who get bullied.” She raised her eyebrows, as though in disbelief that Scorpius got bullied too. “There’s only a small group of us, but we have a safe place to go, a classroom on the third floor. Room 3.14. Me and Al are pretty much there in any of our free time, and the others are too. Join us, if you want to.”

“I – er, don’t know,” she cast her eyes to the floor, watching her feet as she stepped.

“No pressure, I was just offering. If you have a friend, feel free to bring them along. We accept anyone who wants to make the world a better place.”

They reached the top of the Tower, and Sissy answered the riddle with hardly any thought. The door opened for her and she held it open and turned to him.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Let me know, the door’s password protected so I’ll need to tell you.” She nodded once and waved goodbye, before disappearing inside the common room. Scorpius backed away slowly before turning and walking down to the third floor, hiding away in room 3.14 until curfew with Emily.

#

Albus was alone in room 3.14 finishing his potions homework when Asa came tumbling through the door, robes askew and panting hard. Everyone else was in class – or supposed to be – so Albus was surprised to see him. Asa didn’t notice him at first, just ran and jumped on the sofa, sobbing silently to himself.

Awkwardly, Albus put his quill down and quietly slid out of his chair. He was never very good at this comforting thing, even with Scorpius. He went over to the other sofa, an armchair that he and Scorpius usually shared, and sat down.

“Asa?” He asked, quietly so as to not startle the boy. Asa sniffled and lifted his head out the pillow to look at Albus briefly, before dropping it back down. He curled his body into a ball. Albus moved from the chair to sit on the floor in front of him, crossed legged. “Ase? What’s going on?” He placed a tentative hand on his shoulder and rubbed slowly, hoping he was providing some sort of comfort.

Asa mumbled something, but most the words were muffled by the pillow and his sobs. Albus caught the word ‘potion’, but that was the clearest one.

“I didn’t quite catch that,” Albus said, apologetically.

Asa lifted his head, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He had settled slightly, but a few stray tears were still falling, and he was sniffling an awful lot. “J-Johnson messed up… my potion,” he cried. “It exploded… and,” another sob racked through him.

“Hey, hey,” Albus said in his most calming voice. “It’s okay. No one got hurt, you didn’t get hurt, right?”

Asa shook his head. “But, he lost me twenty house points, and everyone already hates me enough.”

“Twenty? That seems like a lot. We could go to your Professor, explain what happened?” Albus suggested.

Asa shook his head again. “I ran out of class early. I stayed for a while, then he started calling me names, saying next time he’ll make sure the potion hurts me, so I ran.”

“Asa,” Albus spoke, exasperated. He was truly at a loss for words. Asa’s bullies seemed nearly as bad as his, and Albus hated that there wasn’t much he could do. He had learned from experience that telling on them never did anything.

Albus stood up and patted his shoulder. Asa picked up on the request and slowly sat up. Albus sat where his head had previously been and placed a pillow over his lap. Asa fell back onto him, head resting on the pillow. Albus carried on rubbing his shoulder, hoping he was helping Asa feel better.

“At least we have this place,” Albus mused, smiling slightly at the banner placed above the fireplace. He felt Asa chuckle slightly in agreement and felt slightly better.

“I feel so much safer knowing there’s a place they can’t get me,” Asa mumbled, wiping the last of his tears on the pillow. Albus patted his shoulder.

“You can also always count on us,” Albus promised.

“I know.” Asa turned onto his back to look up at Albus. His eyes were bloodshot red, face stained with tears and tinged pink. “We have a home, and a family. Just as Scorpius promised.” Asa smiled up at him, and Albus beamed with pride. He turned back over and the two fell silent. Albus was picturing Scorpius’ face lighting up the entire world when he informs him what Asa just said.

He did it. He created a home. He created a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by secretlydreamingofgansey, a beautiful Scorbus pic!  
> See you on thursday!  
> Kudos and comments welcome!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	8. You Got a Friend In Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya'll follow me on twitter you may remember a time I tweeted about writing nearly 1000 words of Scorpius just loving and appreciating Albus, and this, my friends, is the beginning of this chapter. Enjoy.

Scorpius had hung a hammock in room 3.14 and he and Albus were currently gently swinging back and forth, wrapped in each other’s arms inside the hammock watching the other members of the Red Sparks Society interact.

The girls were sat by the fire in hair braiding train, Ana at the back as her hair was too short to braid. Sissy – the girl Scorpius had saved from the Gryffindor bully – had joined the club a couple weeks ago with her friend Jake and were now comfortable with the other members of the club. She was at the front, having her shoulder-length brown hair plaited by Emily. Jenny – as usual – was the one engaging them all in a conversation, repeating a story about something Scorpius couldn’t quite catch.

At the other side of the room by the desks were the boys: Sissy’s friend, Jake, Ali and Asa, helping each other with History of Magic homework. They were all in separate years but were happy to indulge each other. Scorpius was glad everyone seemed to be getting along, even welcoming the newcomers with open arms.

Scorpius shuffled slightly, wrapping his arms around Albus tighter and snuggling his head further against Albus’ chest. Albus smelt faintly of the potion they had been brewing in their lesson before dinner, mixed with the aromatic spices of the Great Hall’s buffet. Scorpius let out a tired yawn, and let his mind run away with itself, as it so often did.

As he watched the members of the RSS interact, a tingling warmth spread through his bones, igniting his senses. It had worked. Everything he worked towards worked. He made a home at Hogwarts for those who always felt out of place. Always felt like they were on the outside always looking in, never connecting with anyone or making friends the way their parents said they should.

Even Draco Malfoy had more friends than Scorpius did. He still talks to them now as well, and quite often in his childhood, Scorpius became acquainted with them. He remembered thinking as a child that, ‘ _if dad had these friends, then I can too’._ And he was so wrong. He walked onto the train and was tripped, ridiculed, bullied, spat at, or just blatantly ignored by everyone who passed by, hissing insulting names. Just before Albus walked into his carriage, he considered locking himself away in the toilet for the duration of the journey, no doubt throwing his guts up from nerves and nausea created by the bullies.

Then, Albus came. And Albus stayed. For him, or his sweets. It didn’t matter. Because he had someone. Even when Rose Granger-Weasley wasn’t the nicest to him, and indulged the rumours, Albus didn’t. Albus saw Scorpius for who he really was. Not Voldemort’s son. Not a Death Eater. Not a nerd who doesn’t know how to shut up. Or a loser with a dying mum. He saw Scorpius. Fun, lovable, incredibly dorky, intelligent, hyperactive, talkative Scorpius. And he stayed.

He stayed. Even though there was no way he’d be bullied as much as he was if it weren’t for being friends with Scorpius. Even though he could have had anyone be his friend. Even though he sacrificed familial relationships to be with him (and yes, they were repaired now but that’s not the point). He could have upped and left Scorpius in a second and become popular and well loved. Yet, he stayed.

He stayed. He stayed. He stayed.

He was still here.

And he wasn’t going anywhere.

And Scorpius had never felt more loved. He had never felt more appreciated. He had never felt more safe, wrapped in the arms of the boy he loved and knowing that he was _his._ Knowing that Albus could have had an easier life, yet he chose the hard one to be with Scorpius.

It was one thing to be in love with someone. It was a whole other wonder knowing they loved you back.

When Albus had spoken those words for the first time, Scorpius thought he’d spontaneously combust. His heart was throbbing hard against his ribcage, showing no sign of settling as Albus wrapped his arms around him and held him protectively for the first time. The butterflies in his stomach ran wild.

Even now, in a whole different situation but still with Albus’ arms around him, he could only think of one thing: love. So much love. His love for Albus pumped through his veins every second of every day. Albus was the sea and Scorpius would happily drown in an ocean of water to be with him.

Albus always told him that he was in the stars, beautiful and bright, shining when the world was so dark. But, Scorpius thought Albus hung the moon, so Scorpius would always have a light to follow should the world ever crumble into darkness. He thanked his lucky stars every damned day that he woke up next to Albus, breathing and alive and _there_. When he woke from nightmares, Albus was there. When he needed reassurance, Albus was there. He was always there. Staying. Staying forever and always.

Scorpius couldn’t help but move his head from Albus’ chest and reach up slightly to kiss him on the lips. He _needed_ him. He needed him to know he loved him. He needed him to feel as loved as Scorpius felt every day. Albus deserved the moon, sun and stars for putting up with him – because, _dammit, I am a handful._

“What was that for?” Albus asked, chuckling slightly. Scorpius could feel the vibration of his chest against his hands.

Scorpius held his gaze, briefly brushing his lips against Albus’ again before answering. “I just need you to know I love you. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. And I would never change a thing.”

Albus ran a gentle hand down his cheek, cupping his jaw and bringing him in for another chaste kiss, longer and gentler and sending fireworks alight in his stomach. Upon pulling away, he smiled and stroked his cheek again. “No words can ever explain how much I love you.”

Ignoring the others in the room – they weren’t paying attention anyway – Scorpius crawled on top of Albus, straddling him (which was awkward in a hammock that swayed a fair bit) and pressed his lips to Albus’ once more. Their tongues were well acquainted by now, moving in a rhythm they’d long learned together.

Scorpius would never get over the feeling of how _right_ it felt to kiss Albus. To feel his lips, soft and gentle, against his own chapped ones. To run his hands through his shaggy dark hair, feeling every fibre against his fingertips whilst Albus’ own hands roamed Scorpius’ waist and back, never finding anywhere to call home until reaching his cheeks and settling there. His cheeks blazed behind Albus’ fingertips, passion burning through him as he mapped every aspect of Albus’ mouth.

Albus tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth before kissing him gently in apology. Scorpius hungrily kissed him back, his own teeth grazing Albus’ upper lip.

“Hey Scorpius?” A voice called, bringing Scorpius back to reality, disconnecting his lips from Albus. They felt bruised and sore but goddammit he would never take that moment back. In fact, he’d go for round two if possible. If the others had seen his and Albus’ probably more than PG kissing, no one said anything. This was, after all, a safe place. They were all also preoccupied with their own business.

“Hmm?” He replied, looking over to Asa who had been the one to say his name. The three boys were looking at him now, perched awkwardly on top of Albus, who had gone bright red himself.

“Was just wondering if you could help us with History of Magic. It’s your best subject, right?” Scorpius nodded and said he’d be over in a second before turning back to Albus and planting another kiss on his lips.

“Honeymoons over,” Albus mumbled. “The kids need you,” he winked, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Awkwardly, Scorpius rolled off Albus, rolling a little too far and flopping ungracefully on the floor. He let out a whimpered ‘ow’, which was drowned out by Albus laughing far too loudly. He peeked out over the edge of the hammock, biting his lip to stop him from laughing even harder. Scorpius looked at him with a wounded look, pouting his lips.

“Are you okay?” Albus managed through his forced frown. Scorpius knew he was bursting at the seams.

“Fine,” he stood, brushing imaginary lint from himself and patting Albus on the head. He stuck his tongue out at Albus, who finally lost it and burst back into laughter. Scorpius left him laughing, joining the boys at the desk and helping them with their homework.

# 

“Jenny, please tell Albus that Mulan is the superior Disney film, beating those sexist portrayals like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and showing how a girl can be just as strong, if not stronger, than a man,” Scorpius said, dropping dramatically opposite her on the Hufflepuff table, exasperated.

“And Jenny, could you please tell Scorpius I’m not denying all that, but Aladdin is better because it has a cool soundtrack,” Albus sat next to him, already making them both a tea and coffee whilst Scorpius sorted breakfast.

“Please, Al, ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’ is a classic!”

“And ‘One Jump Ahead’ isn’t?”

“It’s a good film, but not as good as Mulan based purely on a soundtrack, which is what you’re arguing. Plus, Aladdin has so many other good messages about wealth, as well as an accurate portrayal of race and-”

“You take the fun out of watching movies by analysing them like this, you know?”

“I do not, they are there to be analysed!” Scorpius replied, shoving the plate of food in front of Albus. Albus responded by shoving his tea in front of Scorpius in the same manner.

“Is this your first fight?” Jenny asked, biting her bottom lip to stop her laughter. Ana and Emily appeared next to Scorpius, sitting down and sending him a welcoming smile.

"If this is a fight, it's the cutest one ever," Emily added, ruffling Scorpius' hair and smiling fondly. Scorpius leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder.

“We’re not fighting,” Albus replied, “Scorpius is just getting carried awa-”

“Scorpius is doing no such thing,” Scorpius responded, cutting him off and rapidly sitting back up. Albus turned to him, narrowing his eyes. But, he couldn’t keep his contempt for long, and soon a grin was breaking out and he leaned in to kiss Scorpius’ pouting lips.

“Wow, I wish me and my boyfriend argued and made up just like that,” a new voice sounded. Scorpius looked from Albus, finding the voice coming from a girl sat beside Jenny, who had been joined by Molly her other side. Scorpius noted an absence of the younger members of the RSS, but sometimes they liked to eat together in room 3.14.

“Oh, he’s not forgiven,” Scorpius replied, half-joking. “If he thinks he can just kiss me and everything’s fine and dandy, then he is wrong. No one insults Mulan and gets away with it,” Scorpius folded his arms. He stole a glance at Albus, who was looking at him back with a smug smirk.

“You’re cute when you’re angry, like a little puppy,” Albus teased, reaching up and ruffling Scorpius’ hair.

“Go awaaaaay,” he whined, pulling away from Albus, who now pouted. Jenny was giggling at them, whilst Molly was rolling her eyes.

“Stop flirting, we don’t need you snogging at the breakfast table,” Molly scolded in her best Molly Weasley Senior voice.

“Yeah, we don’t want a repeat of the hammock,” Ana spoke up, supporting Molly. They both shared an amused glance at Albus and Scorpius going bright red, and then high-fived across the table.

“Whatever,” Scorpius said, turning back to the mystery girl sat next to Jenny. “I’m Scorpius, everyone else is rude. Apart from my girl, Emily, she's sweet." He wrapped an arm around Emily and stuck the other one out for the girl to shake.

She took his hand with an amused smile. “Lilah.”

“Lilah is missing home,” Jenny jumped into explanation, “And I told her that we made a home at Hogwarts for those who don’t feel at home at here. She’s interested, if that’s okay?”

Scorpius beamed a genuine smile. Every time they found someone new for the club, his heart did a mini somersault. His home and family at Hogwarts was growing, and he couldn’t have been prouder of everything he built. Albus, as if sensing his elation, placed a hand on his thigh and rubbed in an excited, congratulatory manner.

“Of course!” He near-shouted, his excitement overflowing. “I mean – er – yes, definitely. Right guys?” It was important for Scorpius to know everyone else agreed with who was being let in the club.

“Always ready to welcome new members to the family, welcome to the Red Sparks Society,” Ana said, reaching out her hand and introducing herself. The members who were present all introduced themselves in turn, before getting overexcited and asking Lilah a thousand and one questions. She seemed to take the bombarding easily, answering questions with a smile on her face.

They learned a lot about Lilah in that short time at breakfast. She has a boyfriend who’s a muggle, they got together at the beginning of summer before the year began. She has not yet told him she’s a witch but seems to think he’ll take it well. He’s one of the main reasons she’s missing home, as her parents aren’t always great at being present. But she misses them as well. Hogwarts is lonely without your favourite person, Scorpius could understand that.

As they spoke, learning more about their new member, Scorpius leaned his head on Albus. He hadn’t slept well last night, and it was starting to take it’s toll. Albus mumbled something about being forgiven and Scorpius responded by tickling his side, emitting a little squeak from him and a plead not to do that again. Scorpius, because he was a great boyfriend, wrapped his arms around his waist, a silent gesture for forgiveness and love. Albus hummed happily.

Scorpius, however, didn’t miss Lilah’s longing look at them, and wondered if there was any way he’d be able to make her feel better about missing her boyfriend.

# 

“Me, Ana, Ali, Emily, Jake and Albus on team Better Than You, and Daisy, Lilah, Molly, Asa, Sissy and Scorpius on team You Suck,” Jenny announced, handing out broomsticks to everyone who didn’t have one.

Albus stepped forward, “I would rather sit out,” he spoke, playing idly with the tassels of Scorpius' broom. “You know, scared of flying and all.”

“But then the teams are uneven,” Asa protested.

Luckily for Albus, Daisy stepped forward too, “I’ll sit out as well, I’m not a very good flyer.”

“Okay, you two can commentate and keep score,” Jenny replied and they both nodded.

Albus handed Scorpius his broom, as he had very kindly offered to carry it from the dorm for him like the gentleman he was. He kissed him firmly on the lips, telling him to “ _smash their asses”_ which in Albus speak meant ‘ _good luck’._ Scorpius walked backwards to his team, winking at Albus with a smirk, to which Albus responded by pretending to swoon. Scorpius was about to respond by rolling his eyes dramatically, but Molly grabbed his arm and turned him to the group.

“We agreed as we’re two official players down to cut out beaters, we don’t want anyone getting hurt anyways,” Molly began, becoming the unofficial captain. “Scorp, you want seeker?”

“I don’t know, wouldn’t want to cramp your style with my last name,” he joked, but the words still stung a little.

Molly’s smile faded slightly, and she walked over to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You deserved to be on the team, Scor.” Scorpius shrugged it off, smiling to Molly in a way he knew convinced everyone – but Albus – that he was truly fine. Molly seemed to buy it and carried on giving out the teams positions.

When everyone was sorted, the two teams took to the sky. Scorpius could only faintly hear Albus commentating the match below, though he was mostly doing it to entertain Daisy. His younger cousin was laughing so loud that it ripped through the wind to reach Scorpius’ ear, sending a warmth through his heart.

With two members on official Quidditch teams – Molly, a chaser for Slytherin, and Lilah, a Keeper for Hufflepuff – they were a shoo-in for winning. As well as Scorpius – who everyone claims was definitely good enough for the team – they ended up beating ‘ _Team Better Than You’_ as Jenny had so named them. Jenny was certainly not impressed with this development and had a nice little stomp around like a child after Scorpius caught the snitch right from under her nose.

“You lost, fair and square!” Scorpius protested as Jenny went to throw a quaffle in his direction. He caught it with a little bit of fumbling around and threw it right back, though it fell short. In his defence, he was a seeker.

“You could have warned me the snitch was near!” Jenny responded, flailing her arms dramatically.

“Why would I do that? Then you could have won. Separate teams, Jen, or did you forget how Quidditch works?” This time, he ducked when she threw the quaffle at him. It landed somewhere near Albus and Daisy, who were sitting off the side watching them argue.

“This is just a friendly, you could have been fairer.”

“All is fair in love and war,” he said, smirking in her direction.

“Jenny!” A voice called, running onto the pitch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Scorpius eyed the girl suspiciously, before looking at Jenny with a ‘ _and who’s this?”_ expression, hoping it came off playfully rather than judgementally. Jenny rolled her eyes at him. “Being a sore loser are you?”

“Not a sore loser,” she mumbled, folding her arms like a child.

“Sure, hun.” The girl rolled her eyes. “Are you finished, I was hoping we could head down to Hogsmeade this afternoon?”

“Yeah,” Jenny responded. “I’ll catch you guys later,” she addressed the rest of the group, before waving awkwardly and walking off, the other girls arm still wrapped around her shoulder.

The team gathered round to watch them walk away, including Albus and Daisy.

“Was she just not going to tell us who that pretty girl was?” Emily asked in disbelief as Jenny and the mystery girl rounded the corner and faded from view.

“And I thought we were her friends,” Asa joked, shaking his head.

“We are,” Albus replied. “Maybe she just doesn’t want all your big noses in her business,” he teased, grabbing the quaffle from the floor and throwing it at Asa, which promptly hit him on the shoulder. He picked it up from the floor quickly before throwing it back, but Albus was already running off in the other direction.

Asa shouted after him, picking up another quaffle and running, determined to catch him and hit him. Asa, despite being two years younger than Albus, was above Albus' height, and matched him in stride. He soon caught up, throwing the quaffle and causing Albus to fall to the floor. Asa jumped on him and the two were soon wrapped in wrestling match, rolling around on the floor like savages.

Jake broke out into a run, diving on top of both of them and crushing Albus to the floor. They weren’t that far away, and Scorpius heard Albus’ grunt of pain as he was winded from the pressure. Soon, Ali was jumping on top of the other three boys, all of them intent of crushing Albus to death, apparently.

“Scorpius! Help me please!” Albus called, but Scorpius shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. Albus got himself into this one, he can get himself out. “Traitor!” He called as Ana and Emily joined the boys, piling on top of him. Soon enough, the others had joined too. All but Scorpius, who stayed back and watched the scene unfold. He knew what would happen if his clumsy ass got involved, no doubt resulting in a broken bone at worst and thousands of bruises on his porcelain skin at best.

Though later that day, Albus refused to kiss him for a whole six minutes because he refused to come and help him. Scorpius had silently wished he’d got involved, because a thousand bruises were worth the feel of Albus Potter on his lips.

# 

Squeezing ten people in one carriage was difficult, but doable for the Red Sparks Society. They were two members down, Jenny and Molly who were off on prefect duty. Luckily, Scorpius got to keep Albus, and was currently half-asleep in his arms where they’d taken refuge on the floor. He, Albus and Daisy were on a three-way sleep train, he leaning on Albus and Daisy on him. The others squeezed onto the benches either side and were currently involved in a heated discussion on the Dumbledore Vs. Grindelwald duel.

It was Christmas, and after what felt like the longest – yet best – term Scorpius had had at Hogwarts, he was actually kind of sad to be leaving Hogwarts. He missed his dad more than anything, but he knew what was waiting for him. He would have to tell him about his and Albus’ newfound relationship – a feat he was, quite frankly, terrified for. He didn’t think his dad would have a problem with it, necessarily, but there was still the overwhelming fear that he would. He didn’t have to tell him – as Albus had told him multiple times – but then Scorpius never was very good at hiding secrets. Draco would guess something is up the moment he sees him on the platform, and where he wouldn’t push him for an answer, he would ask a couple of times. Scorpius would break quickly.

Albus was also telling his parents – though he was terrified as well. However, he had the support of all his cousins, who, of course, were very aware of their relationship and had all witnessed just how fast it progressed. He knew, even if the Potters took to the worst-case scenario, that he would have a home somewhere in his family. Scorpius didn’t have that. Not that he thought his dad would kick him out. All his dad ever wanted was for him to be happy and for the first time since his mum got sick (and she’d been sick most his life, if not all) he was happy.

Scorpius finally did drift off into sleep, feeling nothing but comfort in Albus’ arms and on top of a cushioning charm (otherwise this train journey would have been the most uncomfortable of his life). When he woke next, it was about an hour till they would reach Kings Cross, and Jenny and Molly knocked at the door.

“Sorry to wake you guys,” Jenny spoke, eyeing everyone. Scorpius looked around, and it seemed the rest of the group were now rousing from a slumber. Sissy perked at seeing them, a childlike excitement buzzing through her that quickly replaced any remains of sleep.

“Is it time?” She asked. Molly nodded excitedly, and Ali jumped up, reaching up into grab his bag from the overhead compartment. Scorpius had shrunk all their luggage down to fit, and now Ali looked at him with pleading eyes. Scorpius nodded and made the luggage regular size.

Scorpius sat up slightly, and Albus’ hands fell to his waist. “Time for what?” He asked sleepily, feeling like he was the only one not caught up in this situation.

Albus slipped his hands under his jumper, warm hands rubbing circles over his hips. “You’ll see,” he spoke, leaning forward to rest his chin on Scorpius’ shoulder.

Seconds later, Scorpius was presented with a delicately wrapped gift – no doubt the work of Jenny. He looked at them confused, turning it over in his hands and shaking it by his ear to see if he could guess what it was.

“It’s a birthday gift,” Molly explained.

“My birthday isn’t until next week.”

“We know, but we all wanted to give it to you,” Asa spoke next.

“It’s also a thank you gift, for everything you’ve done for us,” Ana supplied.

Scorpius’ head shot up to look at her, tears glistening in his eyes. Tears of joy and happiness. He felt his heart constrict with love for the family sat in front of him, all watching with wide eyes as they presented him with a gift.

“Don’t you dare cry on us, Scorpius,” Jenny scolded, amusement in her tone as she pointed a wiggling finger at him.

“Yeah and open it!” Daisy cried, now out of his lap and sitting on her knees facing him.

Scorpius obliged, carefully unwrapping the paper one fold at a time. Albus mumbled something about taking his time, and that we’ll ‘ _be here all night’_ in his ear, causing a giggle from the group. Scorpius ignored him, rolling his eyes fondly as he unwrapped the whole of the gift, placing the wrapping paper aside carefully.

Inside was a scrapbook, the front page artfully decorated with a picture of the twelve members of the RSS, taken at a small get together they had the previous day to celebrate the end of term. Professor Reus had taken it for them, standing in front of the fireplace with the banner hung above them. Written in delicate handwriting above the picture was the words _Red Sparks Society_ and their motto _Safe and Compassionate Area for Rallying Against Bullying_ written beneath.

Scorpius nearly burst into tears right there and then but managed to hold back as he opened the book carefully. Around him, everyone else was beaming, clearly proud of their work. On the first page was the words: _FOUNDER: Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy_ written, with a picture of Scorpius below smiling at something someone was saying behind the camera. He hadn’t realised that picture had even been taken, but he did know that Emily had a talent for photography. She had been randomly snapping pictures since the first day of the RSS, and now Scorpius knew why.

As he flipped through the pages, there were various pictures, each dated, of the growing members of the RSS. The first was a picture of just he, Albus, Jenny and Molly, the four original members. Then, as the club grew, so did the pictures. There’s one they took on the first day, when it was a group of nine and they were all shy and nervous to be meeting, to when Jake and Sissy joined, and finally when Lilah became an official member.

There were pictures of the boys studying or playing pool, of the girls braid-train, or their friendly Quidditch match which had clearly been taken by Albus, because the page after that was just a picture of he and Daisy pulling a stupid face at the camera which Scorpius let out a laugh at. Another picture was he and Albus sharing the hammock, half-asleep but perfectly content.

On a spread of twelve pages was each member, completed with a picture and a small character profile, including their age upon entry, their house, their fun fact and a quote about the club, most that had been taken from their first meeting. He smiled when he found Ali’s page, a picture of him smiling widely, and a quote underneath saying, _“The Red Sparks Society gave me a home when everywhere else felt so lonely. I think in many ways this club will save my life.”_ It was reading that which sparked the beginning of his water works, and tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. Ali had been the only one to skip over his reason for joining the club that very first day, and at a young age of eleven, Scorpius hated that he felt like that already. He could only be thankful that he helped save Ali’s life, even if it is in ways he doesn’t necessarily know yet.

Upon his tears falling, Albus wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. Scorpius continued to flick through, not bothering to wipe his eyes, and watched in awe and amazement at the various pictures in scrapbook. It was, surprisingly, full, and Scorpius felt so much love for every single member.

“Guys… I…” he was speechless, truly. “I don’t know what to say… thank you,” he looked at them each in turn, taking in their wide beams. They were clearly happy to have received such a reaction to their gift.

“Uh oh,” Lilah spoke. “I think we’ve broken him.”

“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, speechless. Never thought I’d see the day,” Molly joked, leaning in to ruffle his hair.

“I can’t believe you guys did this for me,” he blubbered, still in total awe.

“You deserve it,” Daisy said, speaking up. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have made any friends, and I love my mum and dad, but I actually feel sad leaving all of you. Before you found me, I was counting down the days to Christmas and then I lost count because I found you guys.”

At Daisy’s words, Scorpius choked up again. Though now, he wasn’t the only one crying. There were tears sparkling in Daisy’s eyes and falling from Ali’s.

Emily sniffed, clearly on the verge of tears herself, and drew the attention to her. “Scorpius, and Albus really, you both helped Ana and I feel accepted. We were ridiculed for being together, and of separate houses, and it was taking a toll on our relationship before you. And you gave us a place in the castle where we could unapologetically be ourselves. I’m not sure our relationship would have lasted without you, and we really are truly grateful for you.” She was crying by the end of her speech, and Ana wrapped an arm around her, letting Emily rest her head on her shoulder.

“You helped us, too,” it was Albus who spoke up for the first time. “Seeing you be open about your relationship made us feel like we could be too. All of you being so supportive of us meant we could be ourselves. Me and Scorpius have been bullied our entire Hogwarts career, and you made us feel… worth something.”

Scorpius couldn’t help the smile on his face, small yet honest. Albus was right. Before the RSS, he felt so worthless. He could have very easily given up on himself, but he decided to stand up for what he believed in. He knew there were other people suffering as he was, and he wanted to make sure no one went to the place he did in his head. It was a dark place, and without Albus, there was no telling if he’d ever get out. And then he had everyone sitting in front of him now.

His family.

And he be damned if he ever let any one of them be hurt again.

“I love you all, truly,” Scorpius spoke. Those words seemed to set of a waterfall of tears, because sure enough everyone in the small cramped carriage was now blubbering. Jenny and Molly, who were standing by the door, now squeezed themselves in, collapsing on the floor and pulling he, Albus and Daisy into an extended hug. Everyone seated around them joined in too, until they were a clump of mess on the floor, crying and hugging and muttering that they loved everyone.

It seemed they had only been there for a few minutes when the train pulled up to the station. Molly and Jenny gave everyone quick hugs before disappearing to finish their duties. Everyone else gathered their things, Scorpius helped Daisy put her coat on, and one by one resumed everyone’s luggage to the correct size. They clambered out the carriage together and onto the platform, standing in a group until someone saw their parents. They would hug everyone in turn, wishing them all a Merry Christmas before disappearing. Scorpius and Albus stayed until the last person went and then made their way over to their own parents.

Draco beamed at him, clearly having watched the big group say their goodbyes, and pulled him into a hug. Scorpius had told him all about the club, but he guessed seeing it in person made it real.

“I’m so proud of you, son,” his dad said. For the second time that day, Scorpius burst into tears, holding onto his dad for dear life. It was one thing to be proud of yourself, but to have his dad say the same thing, that was overwhelming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Malfoy family feels for you by: secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr)
> 
> Just a warning, Greece is beautiful and I never want to come home. But alas, only 5 days left :(
> 
> See you on monday for the next chapter! Hope everyone is enjoying this fic and loves my OCs as much as I do (seriously, hearing your thoughts would make my life).
> 
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	9. Be Proud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The obligatory coming out chapter :)
> 
> Trigger warnings: Talk of depression and anxiety!

“So, how are things at school, Scorpius?” Healer Tealing asked as Scorpius settled in the comfy arm chair opposite her desk. He fumbled slightly with his hands, mulling over the answer in his head before smiling slightly.

“Pretty good,” he spoke, honestly.

She raised her eyebrows in response, leaning forward in her chair. “That’s the first time you’ve ever said that… and meant it.” Scorpius smiled a little wider, bringing his feet onto the chair to hug himself.

“Things have been different this term. A lot has happened,” he spoke, shrugging.

He’d been seeing Healer Tealing since his mum died. She started off as a grief counsellor, but after seeing he has deeper unresolved issues, she carried on seeing him about other things. Following the events of fourth year, the visits became more frequent as Scorpius spiralled harder and faster into depression and anxiety. He hasn’t seen her since fifth year started, feeling more confident about not needing her to talk to. However, he didn’t want to cut contact completely, and had always been planning to see her once the Christmas holiday began. Mostly because he liked talking to her, and he had been dying to tell her all about his fifth-year so far.

“Like what?”

“It wasn’t great at first… I tried out for the Quidditch team but never made it. People didn’t want a Malfoy on their team. But, I turned it around and made a club for people who get bullied for whatever reason. It’s been great, and Albus has been by my side the entire time and it’s like a second family at Hogwarts now. A place to call home, for all of us.”

“That sounds great, Scorpius. It sounds like you’ve made something special,” she smiled genuinely at him. One of the reasons Scorpius loved his sessions with Healer Tealing was because she seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. It didn’t feel like a therapy session, it just felt like he was talking to a friend.

“We have, and Albus has been great.”

“So… you and Albus?” She asked, raising her eyebrows with a knowing look. Scorpius flushed, not even realising he’d been mentioning him much.

Scorpius did a single head nod. “Yeah… that’s a thing now.”

“Finally,” she smiled. “I’ve been hearing you pine after him for far too long now.”

Scorpius’ jaw dropped in faux-offence. “No you have not!” Though the protest fell flat. He knew exactly how long he’d been pining for Albus for before he finally plucked up the courage to kiss him. Albus was the best thing that had happened this year, knowing he was finally his. Knowing he had Albus all to himself after years of waiting for exactly that. Albus had always been his, but now he was his in a different way. He’d only been home a few days from Hogwarts and was seeing him in a couple of days to celebrate his birthday, but Scorpius missed him dearly.

“It’s hard,” Scorpius started, setting a serious tone rather than the previous light-hearted banter. Healer Tealing settled back in her chair, letting Scorpius know with her body language that she was ready to listen to him no matter what. “Being without him. We’ve been sharing a bed since the events of fourth-year, and now being away from him, not waking up next to him, it’s hard.” He was looking at his shoes now, rather than at Healer Tealing.

“Are you still getting nightmares?”

Scorpius nodded solemnly. “They’re better when he’s there, and easier to wake up from. It’s not so easy at home, especially if they’re about mum.”

“Are they often?”

“Not so much anymore,” Scorpius said, drawing circles on his knees that were pulled to his chest. There was short silence where Healer Tealing jotted something down before she sat back in her chair.

“What about your panic attacks? Last time we spoke, they were quite frequent.”

Scorpius looked up to meet her eye before casting his gaze back to his shoes. “Still frequent,” he admitted. “At least once a week, maybe twice. Depends on the nightmares…” he hesitated, fiddling with his fingers and sighed loudly.

“What is it?”

“They’re different. Random.” He took another deep breath. “Like nothing has to trigger them anymore. I’ll be minding my own business and suddenly I can’t breathe anymore.”

“Can you give me an example?”

“Before the holidays, I was revising with Albus in the common room and there was nothing significant that happened. We were talking about magical creatures and then it went silent for a moment whilst we jotted our answers down and a wave of panic washed over me. Next thing I knew Albus was talking me down. I don’t even know what triggered it.”

Healer Tealing sat forward in her seat. “You know, Scorpius, you don’t have to have a reason for a panic attack all the time. Your anxiety will peak at times, sometimes randomly, it’s what makes the disorder so debilitating. It affects your everyday life.”

“Yeah, well, it sucks.”

“Well, you have Albus to pull you around, right?”

“Right. But he’s not here right now.” Another silence fell, both seemingly stuck for words. Scorpius stood and walked over to the window. From here, there was a view of the hospital carpark, and Scorpius stood watching for a moment. He watched a small girl exit with her parents, a wild smile on her face as she swung between them, hanging onto their arms.

“I know it’s not normal,” Scorpius began, breaking the silence. “I know I shouldn’t be so co-dependent on someone like that. I know at fifteen, I shouldn’t rely on someone else and I know that I shouldn’t need him to tell me to stop biting my lip so hard that it bleeds and bruises. Or to bring me out of my thoughts when I spiral.” He turned away from the window, back to Healer Tealing. “But that’s just how it is. I don’t know how I’d cope if I ever lost him.”

“What makes you think you’ll lose him?”

Scorpius walked back to the chair, flopping in it dramatically. “Because that’s what happens to people like me. Scorpius Malfoy doesn’t get happy endings.”

“How so?”

“My mum died at thirteen, I nearly lost my best friend at fourteen. I’ve been bullied and ridiculed my whole life for just being born. And I’m never going to be out of the shadow of my father’s past.”

“Do you blame your dad?”

“No!” Scorpius replied, almost too eagerly. “Never. It’s not dad’s fault, which is what makes it worse.”

"Scorpius, just because life hasn't been kind to you so far, it doesn't mean it will always be cruel. Chin up, this time might be different."

Scorpius went to protest, but the timer next to Healer Tealing sounded, signalling the end of the session. “I’m sorry, Scorpius, time’s up.” Scorpius nodded. “Did you want to meet again soon?”

“Yes please, before I go back to Hogwarts.” She nodded, and they arranged a time for him just after the new year. Scorpius thanked her for her time and walked out, greeting his dad who had been waiting for him outside. They flooed back to the Manor and Scorpius went straight to his room for a nap. Therapy sessions always knocked it out of him.

# 

“Mum?” Albus called down the stairs, half sleep-addled. Ginny appeared at the bottom of the stairs in a moment, a book hanging lazily from her hand.

“Yes, dear?”

“Can you take me to Diagon Alley?” Ginny frowned. She hated shopping this close to Christmas, which was happening in five days. “Please!” He begged, noticing his mother’s less-than-pleased expression.

Albus half jogged down the stairs, ready to make his case. “It’s Scorpius’ birthday tomorrow and I’ve got him something, but it’s not enough because this is the first year that we’re-” he cut himself off quickly by slapping his hand over his mouth, realising he nearly blurted out their new relationship status without a second thought.

“That your what?” Ginny asked, folding her arms, smirking. She clearly felt like she had the upper hand.

Albus swallowed and walked the final steps to meet her. “Please, mum. It’s important.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and nodded, following her youngest son up the stairs to get ready herself. She had planned on a peaceful day in, seeing as Harry was working, Lily was at Luna’s and James was staying with Teddy for a few nights. It was only her and Albus in the house, and she thought that he wouldn’t bother her much.

She was wrong.

That was how she found herself in the middle of Diagon Alley on a busy Saturday morning, five days before Christmas day. She held firmly onto Albus’ hand – he may have been fifteen, but there was no way she was losing him to this crowd. Albus didn’t seem to mind all that much.

“Where to then?”

“He’s been talking about this book he wants for weeks, but he wants the first edition and I’m hoping that little book shop next to Fortescue’s will have it, or in Obscurus Books if they don’t,” he said. Ginny had never heard him talk so much in one go. Usually Albus preferred keeping himself to himself, only talking when needed and never speaking more information than necessary. _I like Scorpius,_ Ginny decided (though she already knew that), _he makes my Albus shine like the sun._

They passed Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour and dusted off their shoes as they entered the small book shop situated next to it. It was fairly obscure, tucked out of the way and always quiet. Albus was saying about how it’s Scorpius’ favourite shop because it always has the rarer types of books and she couldn’t help the smile on her face as she watched Albus talk about his best friend. Or whatever he was to him now.

Ginny had always known Albus and Scorpius were destined for something more. She just didn’t know when they would realise that themselves. She was glad they finally had – or at least, she thought they finally had, judging by Albus’ behaviour. Both those boys deserve nothing but happiness, and if they found it with each other, then Ginny would always be supportive of them.

She hoped Albus knew that. And she hoped the reason he hadn’t told her wasn’t because he felt uncomfortable in doing so. She had always tried to show her kids that she would love them no matter what, but Albus had always felt left out no matter how hard she tried. She understood, to an extent, where he was coming from. He was the only Slytherin in a house full of Gryffindors. Growing up, Ginny was the only girl (excluding her mother) in a house full of brash boys. She had felt left out for a long time, and starting Hogwarts was especially difficult when she realised all her brothers had their own friends.

And that wasn’t even taking into account the shitshow that was her first year at Hogwarts. She preferred to try and forget about that.

“Any luck?” She asked Albus, not having to raise her voice too much in the tiny shop.

Albus stuck his head from around a bookshelf to look at her. “You could help, you know?”

“What are we looking for?”

“ _The Decline of Pagan Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot _,_ first edition. Don’t ask, he’s weird and obsessed with history.”

“That’s not weird,” Ginny mumbled as she began looking through the books on the shelf, looking for the familiar purple spine. She had read the book herself back in her second year when things at Hogwarts were a little lonely. “You know, you could ask Hermione?”

“She won’t want to give up her copy,” Albus said from somewhere at the back of the shop. Ginny wondered where the shop attendant was, but there seemed to be no one about she could ask.

At the back of the shop, Albus could have sworn he’d been through every single book here – and the place was an absolute mess – until he finally gave up. He slumped over to his mum, who had now found the shop keeper and was engaged in a conversation with him.

“I can’t find it, mum, let’s go,” he sighed, already halfway out the shop before she could rush to catch up to him. She took hold of his arm as they stepped back onto the busy streets. Albus was about to head in the direction of _Obscurus Books_ but his mum pulled his arm in the opposite direction.

“Let’s grab some ice-cream at Fortescue’s?” Albus nodded and followed her into the little ice cream shop. They’d only been outside for a few moments, but the shop was a nice change in temperature from the bitter winds outside. The sudden change caused Albus’ cheeks to flush red, and he quickly stripped off his coat and scarf and sat at a table whilst his mum went to order, already knowing what he’d have without asking.

Albus tried not to let the defeat get to him. What he had for Scorpius was good but getting him this book would have made it better. He could see his face light up now and the way he’d jump straight into an explanation on that book with a childlike excitement with barely enough time to breathe between words. And Albus would listen and watch his gorgeous boyfriend, knowing it was him who made Scorpius that happy and excited.

But he wouldn’t get that if he couldn’t find this damned book.

And Scorpius’ birthday would suck because of him.

“Sickle for your thoughts?” His mum said as she sat opposite him, putting down Albus’ ice cream (in a bowl, he doesn’t like the wafer cones) in front of him and pulling off her own coat. “Why is this so important to you anyway?” She questioned. She questioned because of course she had some kind of incline as to why Albus was acting strange. He hated that his mum was so perceptive. His dad wouldn’t even notice anything different was going on.

He knew he needed to tell her and his dad about Scorpius. That had been his second intention about this trip. He didn’t want to tell them together, despite how much Scorpius said it was more awkward to do it separately. He _knew_ his mum would back him up, but his dad was a different story. There was no telling how he’d react. He’d be fine with the whole gay thing, it’d be the Malfoy thing he’d have a problem with. At least if he told his mum first, he’d know she would be there as back up.

“Scorpius is important to me,” he said, decided it best to just blurt it out. “We’re dating now, and I really like- love him,” he corrected, daring to look up at his mum. He never found any sign of contempt. In fact, she was smiling. “I want him to know how much I care about him.”

“Oh, Albie,” she cooed, reaching over to stroke his cheek. “I am so proud of you.”

A small grin spread across his face. “Really?” He asked, voice smaller than intended.

“Of course. And I’m so happy you’ve found someone who makes you happy. I’m sure he already knows how much you care for him,” she said. Albus dived out of his seat and fell into his mum, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you, mum,” he kissed her cheek before sitting back in his seat. He tucked into his ice-cream, feeling a bit of weight off his shoulders. That didn’t stop the niggling feeling in the back of his mind about Scorpius, however. He really needed that book.

“Gran likes him, you know?” Ginny said, grinning as Albus’ eyes lit up. It was incredibly important for him that his grandparents liked Scorpius. He had always been closer to them than the rest of his cousins and had his fair share of ‘running away from home’ when he was a kid, which ended with him at his grandparents house eating whatever Molly cooked up for him.

“She does?”

“Of course. When we went over in the summer for your dads birthday and Scorpius couldn’t make it because he was in France with his father, your Gran asked me where your ‘sunshine boy’ was.”

“My sunshine what?” Albus asked, an uncontrollable grin creeping onto his face.

“That’s what I asked, and then she replied, ‘the boy who makes him smile and shine like the sun’. I thought it was rather sweet,” Ginny winked at him. Albus barked out a joyous laugh.

“I always thought it was Scorpius who shined like the sun,” he mused, thinking of Scorpius’ bright smile and light eyes, the way they lit up whenever he got excited about absolutely anything.

“Well, let’s go get your sunshine boy a book, yeah?”

They found the book for Scorpius buried deep in _Obscurus Books_ , behind Bathilda Bagshot’s other famous works. After that, they headed home together and decided to watch a film whilst they waited for Harry to get home from work. Albus sent Scorpius a quick owl first, letting him know he’d told his mum and had every intention of telling his dad at dinner, knowing Lily and James would be out till tomorrow.

Harry, it turns out, was overjoyed about his and Scorpius’ relationship. He, just like his mum, always had some incline about it, but was mostly just happy to see Albus smiling and happy. He hugged Albus tighter than he’d ever hugged him before. And as it was just him, his mum and dad in the house, they spent the evening watching films until Albus fell asleep in his mums lap. Unfortunately, they had to wake him to send him to bed, as Harry could no longer carry him up like when he was a child.

# 

The morning winter sun peeking through his curtains rose Scorpius earlier than he intended, as did the tapping of a beak on his window. He rolled out of bed with a groan and opened the window, letting Albus’ owl in and feeding it a couple of treats before taking the letter tied to its leg. As soon as he was free of the letter, the owl flew back out the window and Scorpius closed it behind him.

He grabbed his blanket off the bed, wrapping it around his shoulders and settled at his desk, protecting himself from the cold. Because the Manor was so big, it was often cold, much like the Slytherin dungeons. He pretty much knew what Albus’ letter would say, but the excitement from hearing from him overtook and he ripped the envelope open with less care than usual.

_My dearest boyfriend,_

_Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy birthday! I sent this last night knowing it wouldn’t get to you till this morning. I cannot wait to see you later today, but I wanted to be the first person to wish you this (please tell me I beat your dad?!)._

_I love you so much, Scor, and I hope you have the best day ever! I know days like these are hard without your mum, but remember she’d be proud of the person you’ve become. I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve done at school and I am so thankful I can call you my boyfriend now! Happy birthday, have the best day and I love you more than anything in the world._

_There’s another reason for my writing. I told my mum. About us. This morning. And I’m telling my dad tonight. Mum took it pretty well, I actually think she already knew. She also told me grandma loves you, and your new official nickname within the Weasley’s is ‘The Sunshine Boy’ because you make me happy like the sun. I quite like it._

_This isn’t me pressuring you to tell your dad, you do that in your own time. I just thought I’d tell you. They won’t say anything, I promise. Just remember, your dad loves you and will support you no matter what._

_I’ll see you later today. I love you loads!_

_Albus xx_

Well, he wasn’t expecting that. Albus had told his parents. And they were okay with it. So maybe Scorpius’ dad will be fine with it too. He was going to do it.

Scorpius dressed quickly in a jumper and jeans, slipping on a pair of shoes and running downstairs to greet his dad in the kitchen.

“Hey bud, happy birthday!” He dad said, briefly hugging him which Scorpius returned.

“Thanks, dad. I was wondering if we could go see mum today?”

His dad faltered, clearly that hadn’t been part of the plan. “If you want to. What about Albus?”

“He’s not coming till later. Just for half an hour or so?”

His dad nodded but placed a breakfast plate in front of him first. They ate in mostly silence, the occasional speech about his birthday taking place. Scorpius said he’d rather open his presents later, when Albus arrived and Draco happily agreed. After breakfast, they put their coats on and walked just outside the Manor grounds to apparate to the graveyard where his mother was buried.

The original plan would have been to have her buried on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. A part of Scorpius wished it was, so he could visit her more often. However, he knew he’d become obsessed with visiting her if she was so close. So, for the sake of everyone, and for Astoria’s family, she was buried in the local graveyard with the most expensive headstone in the place. Draco visited frequently, as did Scorpius whenever he could.

He had wanted to visit on his birthday before but was too scared to bring it up with his dad. He didn’t want this day tainted with sad memories of his mum, but this was something he wanted to tell them both.

They walked through the barren graveyard side by side, Draco’s hand on Scorpius’ shoulder as they passed the various headstones. His heart skipped a beat at a nameless one and wondered who was buried there. When they reached the marble headstone spelling out Astoria’s name, Draco vanished the wilted flowers previously put there so Scorpius could place the new ones down.

“Hey mum,” Scorpius spoke, sitting crossed legged. Draco cringed at Scorpius ruining his clothes on the damp grass but conjured a blanket and sat down next to him. Scorpius reached over to take his hand.

“Is everything okay, Scorpius?” His dad asked, clearly sensing that something was most definitely _not_ okay.

Despite himself, Scorpius nodded. He had to wait a beat for his heart to calm it’s beating before clearing his throat and speaking up. “I wanted to tell you both something.”

“Me and your mother?” Draco asked, eyeing the headstone with a glum look.

“Yeah. Before I do, do you love me?”

“More than anything, you know that.”

“And that’s never going to change, right? No matter the circumstances?” A single tear rolled down his eye, and Draco quickly wiped it for him.

“Never, Scorpius. Now, what’s going on?” He was beginning to sound concerned, never truly understanding the brain of his only child. Scorpius had always been pretty complicated, but Draco suspected that was because his brain worked in different ways to others. He was so incredibly intelligent, that sometimes his brain worked too quickly that even he struggled to keep up.

“I’m in love, dad,” he spoke, half choked on tears.

Draco blinked. “That’s all?” He asked, incredulous. Has Scorpius really worked himself up this much just to tell him – and his mother – that he was in love? “That’s wonderful news.”

“With a boy.”

_Oh._

Draco waited a beat, then said, “are you happy?”. He didn’t really care who Scorpius was in love with as long as they treated him right. Scorpius deserved to be loved and to be happy, and if that meant with a boy, then who was Draco to judge?

“Happier than I’ve been in a long time,” he admitted. Draco’s heart constricted with heartache and love for his boy. He remembered bringing him home from St Mungos sixteen years ago as a little bundle of joy, so vulnerable in a world so cruel. Where had the years gone? At what point did his son grow up enough to be in love?

“Then so am I. I’m proud of you, son.”

“You are?”

“Of course. I love you more than anything. You are my light, Scorpius and nothing will ever change that.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of Scorpius’ head. “Can I ask? Is it Albus?”

Scorpius pulled away from him quickly to send him a puzzled look. “How did you know?”

“I’m your dad, Scorpius. Did you really think I didn’t see the looks you send each other?”

“Oh my, really?” Scorpius laughed, hiding his face in his hands and falling into his dad’s chest. Draco wrapped his arms around him again, letting Scorpius ride out his embarrassment as he laughed along with him.

Scorpius eventually moved his hands from his face and wrapped his arms around his dad, looking longingly at his mothers grave from his dads chest. The mood dropped, creating a little tension.

“Do you think she’d be proud?” Scorpius asked, sounding more vulnerable than Draco had ever heard him. He took a deep breath, knowing that whatever he said now would set the mood for the rest of the day. It would effect the way Scorpius saw his mum. He idolised her. He always had. Even from a little boy, he’d always been a mummy’s boy. Not that Draco could blame him. He always preferred Astoria too.

“I think she would be. In fact, I know she would be. She loved you so much, Scorpius. You could murder someone, and she’d help you hide the body and still probably wouldn’t ground you.” Scorpius let out a choked laugh, and Draco realised he started crying again.

“Are you telling me that you would ground me?”

“Only for a week or so,” Draco shrugged, causing Scorpius to laugh again. His laugh was music to Draco’s ears. He remembered the first time he heard it, when he pulled a funny face at him when he was a baby. He declared then that it would be his favourite sound for the rest of his life and nothing has changed.

“I miss her, dad.” Draco’s heart panged. He looked at his son, who was still staring at his mothers grave, and rubbed his arm comfortingly.

“Me too, son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by secretlydreamingofgansey, a beautiful pic of my boy Albus!  
> See you on thursday!  
> Kudos and comments welcome!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	10. Drunken Antics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back off me hols and here with another update! Enjoy!

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” Albus mumbled, following into room 3.14 just behind Scorpius. The room was, strangely, empty. But Scorpius suspected the other members of the RSS were in class, as he and Albus had a free period.

“Probably not for long though.” Scorpius barely got to finish his sentence before Albus’ hands were on his waist and his lips were on his lips. Scorpius never hesitated to respond, desperate for Albus’ touch like he was water and Scorpius had been in the Sahara Desert for years.

“I’ll take… what I… can get,” Albus spoke against his lips between kisses. Scorpius never dared break the kiss as he guided Albus backwards in the general direction of the hammock in the room. Albus went willingly, just as desperate not to lose connection. Anyone would have thought they haven’t seen each other in years, but they’ve been back at school following Christmas break for two weeks and have been in each other’s pockets the entire time. It seemed their first time away from each other for a prolonged period of time since they started dating has made them even closer.

“Is it just me… or have our roommates been… really intrusive… since we got back?” Scorpius asked, struggling to string together a full sentence when Albus’ lips were on his. They fell back onto the hammock, Scorpius underneath Albus. The hammock swung under their weight, and their kisses became clumsy for a moment until it steadied. Once it did, Albus trailed kisses down his jaw and onto his neck, nibbling slightly at the skin.

“They’re always intrusive,” he replied, pulling away only enough to respond.

Scorpius let out a tiny moan, before slapping his hand over his mouth in embarrassment. Albus smirked and stopped his actions to look at him, “that was adorable.” He pecked his lips again. “And our roommates probably just don’t want us... _canoodling_ in the dorm,” he shrugged, diving in to bite Scorpius’ bottom lip before kissing him gently. Scorpius pulled him back when he dared pull away, as though he was touch starved.

Albus slipped his hands under Scorpius’ school shirt, roaming about the bare skin. Scorpius tangled his own hands in Albus’ unruly hair, gripping his fingers through it and pulling slightly to adjust his position, allowing Scorpius to deepen the kiss. Albus let out a small moan not unlike Scorpius’ previously. Scorpius uncontrollably broke the kiss when a beam spread across his mouth. He quite liked sounds like that emitting from Albus. And he liked it even more when he was the reason.

They had never gone as far as snogging, and even now Scorpius wasn’t sure if he was ready for anything more. He knew he had to stop Albus before it went too far, but right now he was enjoying himself way too much.

“They probably think we’re just a couple of horny teenagers,” Scorpius finally replied. Albus seemed confused for a moment, before the conversation clicked and a grin spread across his face.

“That’s what we are, aren’t we?” He said, cheekily, capturing Scorpius in another fleeting kiss.

Scorpius pulled him back down, unwilling to break from him so soon. They should take advantage of the privacy as much as possible. Scorpius loved the flirtatious version of Albus, when he was flustered and cheeky. It was an Albus he knew was saved only for him. A side of Albus that Scorpius was honestly surprised to see. He had always been grumpy, only smiling or laughing with him. He had never seen him flirt with anyone else, not the way he does with him. It was refreshing to see.

Scorpius slipped his hands from his hair to his waist, copying Albus’ movement and slipping his hands under his shirt. Albus gasped against his lips quietly at the shock of Scorpius’ cold hands against his back. Albus, Scorpius had discovered, was a human radiator. Scorpius, Albus had discovered, was a human icicle. Albus said it was because he was born in June and Scorpius was born in December, to which Scorpius rolled his eyes, called him an idiot and pecked his lips fondly.

“Hufflepuff are having a party tonight,” the sudden voice of Jenny startled the boys. Albus and Scorpius jumped apart, effectively disconnecting their lips in a second. Albus would have fallen out the hammock if it weren’t for Scorpius’ hands on his waist, holding him firmly in place. Neither boy – too invested in their snogging session – had heard her enter. Jenny giggled at their predicament, winking at them both before continuing. “I want you guys to come.”

Jenny had chopped her hair off over the Christmas holiday and dyed it blonder, with the ends dipped-dyed a pastel pink. It was quite the change compared to her dirty-blonde hair curled at her waist. She was now nearly as blonde as Scorpius and everyone in the RSS had taken to calling them siblings. She hadn’t told anyone the reason for her drastic change in hair colour, though Molly insisted something was wrong. According to her, girls don’t just chop their hair off and dye it for no reason.

“Jenny,” Albus started, exasperated, “I know you’ve only known us a mere four months, but in case you didn’t notice, we don’t do parties.”

Jenny rolled her eyes at him. “I noticed, dork. All your cousins are coming. Please.”

“What’s the occasion?” Scorpius asked.

Jenny shrugged. “Who needs a reason to party?”

Albus gave up, collapsing on top of Scorpius with a dramatic sigh. Scorpius started running a hand through his hair, to which Albus hummed pleasantly in response.

“We’ll come,” Scorpius decided, ignoring the scoff from Albus.

Jenny beamed widely. “Great, I’ll pick you up from the dungeons at seven.” She stood, waving goodbye and waltzing out the room, as though she hadn’t just stopped Albus and Scorpius midway through… well, whatever _that_ was.

#

Albus flopped down on Scorpius’ bed the moment they returned from dinner, sighing loudly. “Why did you agree for us to go to this party?”

“Because,” Scorpius said, sitting down on the bed next to him and rubbing a hand up and down his thigh, soothingly. “It could be fun,” – he received a look – “okay, not fun, but different. We never go to parties and Jenny asked us to go and I thought it’d be nice. Besides, your family will be there so it’s not like we won’t know anyone, and we said we would branch out this year and we have, a lot, so why not go to our first party? It’s not like we have to drink, and the Hufflepuffs are generally nice to us and-”

“Scor, I love you, but you’re rambling again.”

Scorpius deflated. “Sorry.”

Albus sat up to look at him. “You really want to go?” Scorpius nodded, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek. “Then we’ll go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I am P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E positive,” he booped Scorpius’ nose.

Scorpius scrunched his nose, but beamed nonetheless. He climbed into Albus’ lap, wrapping his legs around his waist and planted a delicate kiss to his nose. “Thank you,” he whispered, then locked his lips with Albus’, pulling him in for a longer kiss. Albus happily melted into him, wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him as close as possible.

Unfortunately, it was Albus who pulled away first. Barely a breadth away, he whispered, “We shouldn’t get into that again, and should probably get ready.”

Scorpius flopped backwards dramatically. “Ugh, you kill me, Albus Potter.”

Scorpius looked at Albus, at his flushed cheeks and swollen lips, and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. He truly was beautiful. Most people think beauty is carved out of the light, that people need to shine brighter than the sun to be beautiful. It wasn’t true. Albus twinkled best in the moonlight, his dark hair an ode to midnight. His eyes were dark pools of emerald green, the most captivating and enchanting colour Scorpius had ever seen. He knew he’d never be able to say no to those eyes. He’d never want to see the sparkle leave them.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Albus spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

“Like what?”

“Like _that.”_

“I’m not doing anything!” Scorpius protested,

“Yes, you are. Stop it. You look too fucking hot right now.” Albus held an accusing finger to him, wiggling it slightly in his face.

“Says you! Albus, I don’t even think you even realise the things you do to me.” Scorpius pretended to bite his finger, but Albus pulled away too quickly and shook his head fondly.

“If it’s anything like what you do to me, I can take a pretty good guess.” Albus grabbed his hand and pulled him up into a sitting position, back to where he was previously. He went to catch him in a kiss, but Scorpius dodged it.

Instead, he leaned down and whispered in his ear, “now we are being horny teenagers.”

“It’s not my fault you’re a literal angel,” Albus whispered back, nibbling at his ear lobe.

“It’s not my fault you’re the actual moon.”

“Kiss me, for fuck sake.” Albus’ breathy plead sent shivers down Scorpius’ spine. There was no way he could deny Albus of what he wanted.

So, he kissed him.

They stumbled out the common room a few minutes late for Jenny. Albus’ jumper was badly ruffled from putting it on in a rush after their impromptu snog session ran a little longer than planned. Scorpius, as always, was perfectly presentable, but only because he refused to leave the common room until he looked good enough to go in public. Albus didn’t care about how he looked, and Scorpius loved his ruffled look.

He did, however, straighten his jumper for him as they walked towards the Hufflepuff common room and brushed a hand through his hair, so it looked less messy. Albus gave him a thankful lopsided smile that made Scorpius’ heart do somersaults. He wondered if that feeling would ever fade. Then realised he never wanted it to fade.

Upon entering the Hufflepuff common room, they were greeted straight away with a strong smell of butterbeer and Firewhiskey, loud music pounding throughout their ears and a stuffy warm feeling. Albus fiddled with the collar of his jumper and Scorpius could tell he already regretted wearing something warm. Scorpius took his hand and squeezed it, knowing how they both tend to get in extreme social situations such as this.

Jenny took Albus’ other hand and led them through the common room to where the bottles of butterbeer were and grabbed them one each. Scorpius took Albus’ as well as his own until they made their way over to where Molly was sat with the rest of Albus’ family.

“What’s Lily doing here?” Albus asked James accusingly when they reached their destination. He took the butterbeer from Scorpius and took a large sip. Scorpius fiddled with his own, never really liking the taste despite what everyone else thought.

“She begged me,” James replied, shrugging.

“I’m thirteen, Al!”

“I’m looking after her,” James assured. “As is Domi, as she’s keeping an eye on Roxy too, who also insisted on coming. Hugo also might pop down, but apparently he has homework,” James rolled his eyes. “Hey Scorp.”

“Hi, James. Did you ask out that girl?” Scorpius asked, remembering the conversation they had at the Weasley New Year’s Eve party about a girl in Hufflepuff that James fancied.

“Not yet, but she’s here tonight so, fingers crossed.” Scorpius did a ‘fingers crossed’ motion in response whilst Albus rolled his eyes.

“SCORP!” Scorpius turned to where the voice was shouting his name. Rose was fighting her way through the crowd, rolling her eyes when someone never let her past. Eventually, she reached them, exasperated. “Have you heard about the Slytherin Quidditch team?”

At that, Molly perked up. “What about us?” Albus dropped his hand to go and talk with Lily, James and Jenny.

Rose looked between them both as she spoke, made easier by Molly coming up to Scorpius’ side. “Rumour has it that Kate’s dropped out of the seeking position. I overheard your beater saying Fletcher’s going to ask you to take over.”

“What?” Molly asked at the same time Scorpius said, “Really?”

Rose nodded. “I don’t know if they were talking bull, but that’s the rumour.”

Scorpius stood surprised, unsure exactly how to take this information. He couldn't fathom why Kate would have dropped out. The team were doing well with her as seeker. No one had any complaints about her.

“Don’t do it,” Molly said to him.

Scorpius turned to her, stunned. “I wasn’t going to. It doesn’t change the reason why they shunned me out, but don’t you want to win? You need a seeker. You’ll ruin your chances of the cup and beating James and Freddie.”

“Our chance at the cup was ruined the moment Fletcher picked Kate over you.” Despite himself, Scorpius couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s true,” Rose said, slightly cockier. Molly rolled her eyes at Rose fondly.

“Why would Kate quit?” Scorpius asked.

Rose shrugged, muttering a small, “I don’t know,” to herself.

“She was annoyed that she got the position over you. She knew you were better, and after your little explosion in the Great Hall,” – Scorpius averted his eyes to the floor – “the team talk shit about you quite a lot. She probably got tired of it. Merlin knows I’ve considered quitting a fair few times. I shouted at Fletcher last week for talking shit about you.”

Scorpius had always known people talk about him behind his back, but having it confirmed for some reason made his anxiety spike. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling as though everyone was talking about him.

It was stupid.

And he knew it was stupid.

This is supposed to be a party. Surely, people had better things to talk about than him.

As if Molly sensed his growing trepidation, she placed an hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, no, no, Molly, it’s fine. It’s me. I get a little paranoid that’s all. Everyone in the RSS think I’m unshakeable, but really stupid things like this cause my anxiety levels to spike through the roof,” he tried to play it off as a joke, but everyone could sense the underlying anxiety evident in his shaky voice.

“How is the RSS?” Rose asked. A lot of Albus’ family knew of Scorpius’ club. They were there when the idea spiked, despite him never telling them what idea that was exactly. They never joined directly because they didn’t want to seem intrusive, they also all had friends of their own and a place to call home in the castle already. They supported the RSS from the outside, which was more than Scorpius could really ask for.

“It’s good, very good,” he replied, anxiously fiddling with his hands now. He knew they were trying to distract him and was quite grateful for it. It wasn’t, however, until Albus’ hand settled between his shoulder blades did he fully relax, allowing himself to release a breath he was holding.

Able to now fully relax, Scorpius let himself enjoy the party. The group of Weasley-Potters stuck together mostly, and if they split off, they stuck in groups of three. Albus had wondered off with James and Freddie for a game of beer pong a group of Hufflepuffs had set up. Scorpius had promised to keep an eye on Lily and Roxy for Domi, who had left with Jenny and Molly for the table of shots (because that was going to go well).

Scorpius had lost track of the other members of Albus’ very large and loud family, though he thought he saw Louis talking with Ana and Emily, who had joined the party almost as reluctantly as Albus when Jenny asked them at dinner. They seemed to be having an okay time though.

Scorpius was sat on one of the sofa’s watching Lily and Roxy play a game of spin the bottle on the floor in front of him with a bunch of other fourth-years. Lily was the youngest among them, and one of the youngest at the party. It seemed innocent enough, only pecks on the lips which is why Scorpius left them too it.

He let his eyes drift to Albus for a moment, who cheered loudly when his ping pong ball landed swiftly in Freddie’s cup. James cheered too, grabbing Albus around the waist and jumping up and down with him. Scorpius smiled fondly, loving it when Albus felt at home with his family. After the rocky road he’d been through with them, it was nice to see them all getting along. It was just as adorable to watch when Freddie scored against him, and Albus pouted before downing the contents of the cup.

Scorpius hoped he wouldn’t have to carry him back to the common room tonight. He himself had barely touched his first butterbeer.

“Scoooorrrrrpiuuuuus.” He felt a weight drop beside him and a head on his shoulder before he’d even processed who had spoke his name. It was Jenny. Scorpius caught sight of her now-platinum blonde hair and instantly made the connection.

“Jeeennnnnnyyyyyyy,” he replied in the same whining tone that she said his name.

She pulled off him, sending him a look that suggested she was offended. “I think I did too many shots,” she murmured, collapsing back onto him. Scorpius wrapped an arm around her, letting her cuddle into him. “Ugh, look at them!” She scoffed, shooting back up.

“Who?” Scorpius asked, looking in the general direction. He understood when he caught sight of the girl who Jenny had been seeing. She never disclosed her relationship status to him, or to anyone for that matter. She was rather private in that department. However, the girl in question was cosied up with some Slytherin boy in the corner, not giving a hoot about the excessive PDA they were showing. “Isn’t that the girl you were… dating?” He tripped on the words, not wanting to sound too intrusive.

He had no idea why Jenny kept it from them but respected her privacy completely. He knew how things went with same sex relationships and would never have wanted to put her under that kind of pressure.

Jenny nodded solemnly. “She broke up with me over the holidays. Said that she didn’t want me to kiss her anymore, it was too _intimate_.” Jenny rolled her eyes, her voice thick with venom.

“But she doesn’t mind being intimate with that dude,” Scorpius pointed out, regretting it a little when Jenny shot him a venomous look. She softened though when Scorpius flinched.

“I really liked her, Scorp. I thought she liked me, too.” She fell back onto him, and this time Scorpius wrapped her up in a proper hug. She was emitting silent snuffles and Scorpius knew she had begun crying.

“Is that why this happened?” He asked, gesturing to her hair by playing with it softly. He hoped a light-hearted tone would cheer her up. She nodded softly against him, but never spoke. Scorpius sighed. He sat her up and made her look at him, wiping the tears softly from her eyes.

“Hey, look,” he spoke in the softest tone he could muster. He didn’t have to look hard for it. “You don’t deserve someone like that, okay? Jenny, you are the kindest, softest and most beautiful person I have ever met. After Albus, you were the first person to look at me and see Scorpius, not a Malfoy. I know it hurts right now, but you’ll be okay. You’ll find someone who will treat you right.”

She smiled despite her tears but turned away sadly to glance at the girl who once owned her heart. “I’ve never been very good with relationships. I think it was because of the bad role models I had growing up. I love my parents, but they fought all the time.”

“You can’t blame yourself. It not you, it’s her.”

“I just want something to work out for once in my life.”

“You’re fifteen, Jen. It’s very rare your first relationship is going to work out, or your second or maybe even third. You have time. And you should use that time to find someone who really likes you, who isn’t ashamed to be with you. Jenny, you really deserve the entire world and I hope you never settle for anything less.”

Jenny smiled again and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “I need a Scorpius in my life,” she sighed against him. “A girl version, of course, but still a Scorpius. But I think you might be one of a kind.”

“Too bad we’re both gay,” he murmured back, causing Jenny to burst out laughing. She pulled away from him, collapsing dramatically in a fit of laughter on the sofa.

“True. I think we’d make a dashing couple otherwise,” she joked once she had calmed herself.

“Oh, without a doubt.” They both started laughing again. When they both calmed, Jenny leaned her head on Scorpius shoulder. Scorpius checked on Albus quickly, before turning back to Jenny’s ex-girlfriend(?) and her new (boy)friend.

“Want me to go over there and accidentally spill my drink on them?” Scorpius asked, earning a wicked grin from Jenny.

“You would do that for me?”

“Of course.”

She giggled and looked up to him from his shoulder. “You really are a Slytherin, aren’t you?”

“To the bone.”

They were interrupted by Albus drunkenly stumbling next to him, collapsing onto the sofa in the same fashion as Jenny did earlier. He was mumbling something about winning Freddie, but he was slurring his words so much that Scorpius struggled to understand. Instead, he patted Albus on the head and let him fall asleep, which he did in record time.

Molly came over with another shot for Jenny, who squealed loudly when she handed it to her before downing it in one gulp. Then James came with one for her. Then Louis. Then Domi. Then Molly again.

Jenny could barely stand before, let alone now. Despite Scorpius’ protests to her not having anymore, she kept going and going. Now, she was stumbling about the place, moaning about wanting to sleep and throw up at the same time and Scorpius could barely hold her up. He asked Lily to keep an eye on sleeping Albus whilst he attempted to wrestle Jenny up to her dorm room.

“I don’t… - I’m gonna… sick,” Jenny mumbled, nearly falling over but only staying upright due to Scorpius’ hands around her waist.

“Okay, Jen. You’re fine,” he muttered back, leading her up the stairs to her dorm. She mumbled in protest, but Scorpius didn’t quite catch what she said.

He managed to get her to her dorm and through into the bathroom before she vomited what seemed like her entire insides down the toilet. Scorpius – having quite the firm stomach due to years of helping look after his mum – held her hair back for her. He summoned a glass of water for when she was ready. Every now and again, she’d take a sip before throwing up again.

He wasn’t sure how long they were there for, waiting for Jenny to rid her body of the all the alcohol she’d consumed. In must have been about half an hour when he heard someone frantically calling for him outside.

“SCORPIUS?” A panicked voice sounded outside Jenny’s dorm. He couldn’t leave her, so shouted back as loud as he could.

Moments later, Rose came running into the dormitory bathroom with… Ali?

“Scorpius, it’s Daisy. She’s in the hospital wing,” Ali said, panic evident in his tone.

Scorpius went into severe panic mode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm sorry.  
> Have a pic of my lovely Jenny to make up for it by secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr)  
> I would love to hear your thoughts and if anyone's still here with me, only a few chapters to go!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy


	11. Crashing and Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning: these next few chapters will show a dramatic decline in Scorpius' mental health! A couple of chapters previously, we saw Scorpius had a confirmed diagnosis of anxiety and depression and where it's not that vivid, people who know about the disorders will see the signs. I just want to make sure everyone is safe! Thank you, and thank you all for reading and commenting so far, I love you all!

“Daisy is where?” He asked, barely catching his own words. “Is she okay? What happened, Ali?” Ali was crying, Scorpius hadn’t noticed before. There were tear stains down his dark cheeks, eyes bloodshot red.

“A group of Slytherins… hexed her and… p-pushed her down the s-stairs,” he spoke through sobs. Rose, despite not really knowing him all that much, wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. “Y-you need to come, please?”

Scorpius nodded quickly, but a retching sound next to him brought him back to reality. He was still holding Jenny’s hair back as she threw up her insides. He was about to speak, but Rose beat him to it.

“I’ll look after her, I promise. You go,” she made her way over and took over Scorpius’ position. Scorpius handed her the glass of water he had in his other hand.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Scorpius. Go.”

“What about Albus?” He asked, remembering Albus had fallen asleep on the sofa in the common room.

“James and Molly are taking him back to Slytherin, just go, Scorpius. She needs you.” Scorpius nodded, thanking her and grabbed Ali’s hand to run out the common room.

He caught eye of James on the way out, who nodded at him as he picked Albus up from the sofa. Scorpius felt a little better knowing both Jenny and Albus were in safe hands. Scorpius never dared let go of Ali’s hand as they ran from the Hufflepuff common room up to the Hospital wing with little care. It was a miracle they made it without a run-in from the teachers.

He understood why when he and Ali entered the hospital wing to find Headmistress McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Professor Longbottom and Professor Reus all surrounding the bed Daisy was asleep on – or he hoped she was asleep.

Ali broke from his hand and ran to her side. Scorpius – as much as he wanted to run – took a more collected route by walking, wringing his hands together.

“Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Patil, what are you doing here?” McGonagall asked. Ali visibly flinched, but Scorpius stepped in.

“Ali came to get me, he was worried about Daisy. Is she okay, Madame Pomfrey?” Madame Pomfrey liked him, it was something he had in his favour. She most likely wouldn’t keep information from him. His shoulders slumped, and heart dropped when Madame Pomfrey hesitated to answer.

“I’ve stabilised her vitals for now, we’re waiting for her to wake up,” Madame Pomfrey assured. Scorpius nodded numbly, taking in the small form of Daisy lying unconscious on the bed.

She looked paler than usual, though her skin had always been a stark contrast to her black hair. Forming around her eye and jaw were two killer bruises, already purple and prominent. She was still in her school uniform, as was Ali. Scorpius couldn’t think for the life of him of _why_ they would be wondering the halls this late after curfew. It was probably creeping near midnight.

“You two need to go to bed,” Professor McGonagall spoke. “I assure you, she’s in good hands.” Next to her, Madame Pomfrey nodded. Scorpius had no doubt. Madame Pomfrey was a terrific healer, which made him all the more excited for the apprenticeship she’d promised him in his seventh year.

“Madame Pomfrey,” Scorpius addressed the nurse, “would it be okay if I stay tonight with Daisy?” He looked between the three professors and one healer before him, pleading with his eyes. According to his father, and Albus, not many people can say no when Scorpius looked at them like that. “Please. She’s just a kid and she’s probably terrified. I don’t want her waking up alone.”

The adults looked among themselves, and finally, Madame Pomfrey nodded. “Very well.”

“I’ll walk Ali back to Gryffindor and come straight back,” he assured, taking hold on Ali’s hand. He looked like he went to protest, but Scorpius shot him a firm look, modified quickly with a reassuring smile and he nodded. The Professors agreed and disbanded for the night, and Madame Pomfrey gave Scorpius a note allowing him out of the dorm after curfew in case he run into the caretaker.

As promised, Scorpius walked Ali back to Gryffindor, having to reassure him along the way that Daisy was fine and that he wouldn’t let anymore harm come to her. Even though this was truly out of Scorpius’ hands, he seemed to be reassured. Once he’d dropped him off, Scorpius made his way back to the hospital wing. By the time he’d return, Madame Pomfrey had retired to bed. She’d left a small wooden chair out for Scorpius, which looked terribly uncomfortable.

He transfigured the chair into a more comfortable armchair and shuffled it closer to Daisy’s bed. He checked over her vitals with a spell a healer at St Mungos taught him when his mum was sick – he trusted Madame Pomfrey, but just needed to check for himself. With one last final look, he sunk into the armchair, pulling his knees up to his chest and reached around to take one of Daisy’s hands.

He never slept. He couldn’t. Not when there were nightmares pulling at Daisy’s mind and she was trapped in unconsciousness. The only thing that seemed to be calming her was Scorpius’ hand in hers, and so he held it tight and made sure to never leave in case she needed him.

# 

When Albus woke hugging a pillow rather than Scorpius, panic instantly settled in his bones. He ran through all the possibilities of where he could be in a second but drew up a blank. The events of the previous night were fairly blurry. The last thing he remembers is downing a pint of whatever the hell was in that beer pong cup and James’ arm around his shoulder. In fact, he hardly remembers seeing Scorpius at all.

Albus scrambled out of bed, regretting moving so fast due to the pounding in his head. Scorpius’ curtains were open and his bed unslept in. The rest of his dormmates curtains were closed, so Albus presumed it wasn’t that late. He quickly changed and brushed his teeth, hoping to find Scorpius down at breakfast.

Despite his pounding head, he ran to the Great Hall. Possibilities of where his missing boyfriend had gone running rapid through his brain.

Did they have an argument?

Is that why he wasn’t in bed?

But they never argued. And they hadn’t slept in separate beds since their fourth year, well before they were even dating. And, how could they have argued if Albus barely remembers seeing Scorpius last night?

Then maybe something else happened. Or maybe Scorpius had crashed in Hufflepuff because he was too drunk. But he wasn’t really drinking at all, was he?

Albus’ pounding heart settled a little when he caught sight of James and Lily having breakfast at the Gryffindor table. He ran over to them, skidding to a halt dramatically.

“Al-” James started, happily. Albus cut him off.

“Have you seen Scorpius?”

“He’s in the hospital wing.” Albus’ heart dropped, the previous panic returning at full volume. James must have seen the way Albus paled, because he quickly amended, “No, not him. Not him. He’s fine, Al. But, it’s Daisy. We were going to go see her after we ate.”

“Is she okay?” He asked. The panic settled slightly, but some of the worry remained. It was his cousin after all. Since they had met, Albus asked his dad why she had been kept from them. He was extremely apologetic, and invited Dudley, his wife and Daisy to their annual New Years Eve party. Daisy was thrilled to meet the rest of the family, and they had – as all Weasley’s do – welcomed her open arms. They had since formed the same protectiveness over her as they do with all members of the family. It had also been nice for Lucy to have someone her age.

“We’re not sure. Ali came looking for Scorpius at the party yesterday all frantic. Scorpius left with him and we haven’t seen him since.”

“Thanks,” Albus said and ran off in the direction of the hospital wing.

He arrived in record time, checking all the beds until entering a partially closed off area where Daisy lay unconscious on the bed. Scorpius was curled up in a comfy looking armchair, one hand holding Daisy’s and the other holding his head up. He looked halfway into a doze, and Albus almost felt bad for interrupting.

Scorpius shook awake when Albus placed a hand on his arm, bending down to his height. “Hi.”

Scorpius’ eyes were tired and red-rimmed. The black circles surrounding his grey eyes were evidence of the horrible nights sleep he’d had – and the horrible night sleeps he always has. He gaze softened when settling upon Albus, and his voice was rough when he mumbled back a, “hi.”

Albus stood and sat on the end of Daisy’s bed, placing his hand over hers and Scorpius’. “How is she?”

Scorpius shuffled in his seat, stretching out his limbs and letting out a much-needed yawn. Then, he shrugged. It was not the answer Albus was looking for. “She’s stable, just waiting for her to wake up.”

The thing about Scorpius was that he wore his heart on his sleeve. He had difficulty hiding his emotions – and when he did, it was only because he wanted to. He lived his life out loud, and that meant that everything was written over his face. Right now, his exasperation and defeat was evident.

“I failed her,” Scorpius spoke, so quietly that Albus almost didn’t catch it. Scorpius stood and started pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair. “I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to protect all of them and I failed.” Scorpius tugged on his hair in frustration and bit down hard on his bottom lip.

Albus stood and caught him in a hug, pulling his hands away from his hair. Scorpius melted into him and sobbed softly into his shoulder. Albus went to protest because, of course, none of this was Scorpius’ fault and he never – could never – fail her or anyone else. But, a small, timid voice from the bed spoke up instead, “You didn’t.”

“Daisy!” Albus said as Scorpius pulled away and dived to her side. Albus went the other side, sitting back on the edge of her bed. “How are you feeling?”

Daisy closed her eyes again, slumping against the pillows. “Sore… and tired. But, I’m okay.”

They were interrupted by a mass of Potter-Weasley’s all coming to check up on Daisy. James and Lily bought sweets, Lucy bought a homemade card which everyone had signed and left at the end of her bed. No one asked what happened. Most were just worried and checked she was okay. She seemed a little overwhelmed, but Albus could completely understand that. His family, when all together, were very overwhelming.

Madame Pomfrey eventually shooed them all out – excluding Albus and Scorpius – to check her over, concluding that she had recovered well and that she should be out the next day. Her injuries were confirmed as a concussion, and a broken ankle – which had been fixed immediately – and mostly bruises and lacerations from the fall. There was a nasty swelling on her stomach where a stinging hex had hit her.

Albus and Scorpius stayed with her all day, joined about midday by the rest of the RSS. Ali came with a lot of guilt, apologising over and over and over until Daisy shut him up with a firm hug and thanked him for being there. It was then Albus decided to ask the question they were all thinking: what happened?

“We lost track of time,” Ali started. “We were doing charms homework in room 3.14 and everyone else had left to go to that party you all went to.” Scorpius looked down at the floor, as though he was somehow in the wrong for going to a party and not getting them back to their common room safely as normal. Albus went to reach over, but Molly got there first with a comforting smile. He smiled back, but it was weak.

“It got late, but we didn’t realise how late. We thought we could sneak back to the common room unnoticed and we nearly got there but…” Ali faltered, eyes lingering on Daisy.

“We were approached by some Slytherins,” Daisy finished.

“By the Gryffindor common room?” Molly asked, perplexed.

Daisy nodded. “They were coming from the Astronomy tower.”

“Fourth years,” Ana clarified. “We have Astronomy Friday evening.”

“You were at the party,” Asa accused. Ana only shrugged and winked at him. Asa sighed and muttered, “Slytherins” under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah well, we bumped into them,” Daisy continued. “They called me and Ali a couple of horrible names, and then hexed him, but I jumped in the way. Then I guess I fell down the stairs.”

“And they ran off,” Ali finished, shrugging.

“Do you know who they are?” Lilah asked. “Would you be able to recognised them?”

Daisy and Ali exchanged a look and then looked back to the group and nodded. The group launched into various methods of tracking down the people who did it and making sure they paid for what they did. They would find out and tell the teachers, making sure they got into trouble.

Scorpius, however, was not too involved in the conversation. Albus noticed the solemn look on his face as he sat down in the chair and pulled his legs up to his chest. He spent the entire conversation absorbed in his own mind, and only snapped out of it once Madame Pomfrey, again, ushered them out.

Scorpius stayed with Daisy again that night. It was a lonely night for Albus, who now had to knowingly fall asleep without him. He pulled on one of Scorpius’ jumpers and hopped into Scorpius’ bed, making sure he was surrounded by him even if he couldn’t actually be with him. He even read a few chapters of Scorpius’ newest book obsession. It didn’t feel right him not being there, but he knew Daisy needed him more.

#

It was a few days later that the news of Kate dropping out of the Slytherin Quidditch team became the height of gossip. The RSS was seated at the Ravenclaw table in all their glory – Daisy was well on the way to a full recovery but was still nervous to be on her own - when a silence fell over the hall. Scorpius looked to where all eyes had turned to Kate who was shuffling her way over to… him?

She stopped just short of him, a couple of her friends just behind her. “It’s true,” she started, answering the question she knew was on everyone’s lips. “I was tired of hearing Fletcher talk shit about you. He did it more often than not. Everyone knows you deserved the seeker spot, Scorpius, and I know you won’t take it and I don’t blame you. In fact, I encourage you not to. Standing up for yourself a few months ago was incredibly brave, and you inspired me. So, I quit.”

“I… inspired you?” Scorpius was perplexed. “And you quit?” He already knew this, of course. Rose informed him at the party. But when nothing came of it after, he assumed it had been a rumour.

Kate nodded. “I did. Thank you.”

“Er – you’re… welcome?” She smiled fondly at him and nodded once before disappearing over to the Slytherin table.

Scorpius turned back to the table and shrugged at them, continuing to eat his breakfast. He was glad when no one else brought it up and the conversation turned back to normal. Which, in RSS talk, was never normal.

“Would you rather compete in _The Hunger Games_ or get lost in the department of mysteries?” Emily asked, biting a strawberry off her fork and wiggling it at the members of the RSS separately.

“What’s The Hunger Games?” Jake asked, and Scorpius was glad he wasn’t the only lost one.

“It’s a book,” Sissy began to explain, “about a group of 24 kids who get randomly picked to go into a game, in which they have to kill each other and only one can survive.”

“Brutal,” Albus remarked, to which Lilah next to him nodded along. “But, I’ll take my odds in The Hunger Games over the department of mysteries, fuck knows what you’ll find down there.”

“Language, Al,” Scorpius scolded. Albus fondly rolled his eyes, and Molly and Jenny across from them started giggling at Scorpius’ attempted telling off. “But the department of mysteries. I don’t fancy my odds in the whatever games, I’ll definitely be the first to die.”

Molly gaped. “Scorpius, with your brain, your determination, your kindness and sheer stubbornness, I think you’d win.”

“I don’t think so,” he mumbled. “I’ve got to go,” he packed his book into his bag and flung it over his shoulder.

“Wait, Scorpius,” Jenny spoke before he could leave the table. Scorpius froze and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “I never got to thank you for looking after me the other night. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” he gave her a weak smile.

He kissed Albus on the cheek before disappearing out the Great Hall. He had a lesson without Albus that morning, so it made sense for him to go off on his own. Albus would definitely be questioning him later on his abrupt departure, however.

Scorpius made it all the way to Advanced Potions and took his regular spot at the front of class without any interruptions. He allowed himself a few moments of peace, scribbling down ideas for a poem he'd been writing to express his emotions. It helped him channel his thoughts, which were currently scattered about the place like it's nobodies business. He wished, for just once, that his brain worked in the same way as others people's. He wished, for just once, not to have to worry about every little thing; not to get sad about the smallest interaction; not to feel like he's walking on broken glass. 

And then Fletcher Adams sat down in the seat next to him, sending him a cocky smile, and his peace was ruined. Scorpius swallowed around the lump in his throat, his anxiety increasing by the second. Fletcher hadn’t spoken to him since his little _performance_ in the Great Hall after the Quidditch try-outs.

Fletcher ignored him most of the lesson. They listened to Professor Reus talk about their current assignment – to brew a Draught of Living Death potion – and once they were set to work, they worked in silence. Scorpius’ anxiety eased slightly, but never completely. Scorpius was working on crushing the Sopophorous bean when Fletcher finally spoke up.

“There’s a spot going on the team, it’s yours if you want it,” was all he said.

Scorpius feigned confidence, kept his eye on the bean and said, “why would I want it?”

Fletcher sighed, “look man, we’re going to lose the cup if we don’t find a seeker.”

“Not my problem.”

“Do you want us to lose the cup?”

“Again, not my problem.”

“Malfoy.”

“Adams.”

Silence. They carried on working. Clearly, Fletcher realised Scorpius wanted no part in the team. Scorpius had long moved on from Quidditch, to bigger and better things. Fletcher, surprisingly, stayed quiet through the rest of the lesson, only scowling slightly when Scorpius was prized with a small dose of Draught of Peace for perfecting the potion.

He did, however, grab Scorpius’ arm on the way out. Scorpius instantly pulled away but made no verbal protest. “I’ve seen you around with that little group of yours, since when did you make friends?”

“Go away,” was all he said.

“You come back from a mysterious time travel adventure and suddenly have friends.” Scorpius tensed up at the mention of _that_ event. “Curious, don’t you think?”

Scorpius stopped and turned to him. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing.” Fletcher stalked off, leaving Scorpius alone, confused and most importantly, anxious.

Scorpius just about kept his panic at bay as he made his way to his next class, finding Albus waiting outside for him. Instead of going in, Scorpius pulled him to one side and let the familiar feeling of Albus’ hand in his calm his firing nerves.

“Scorp? What’s wrong?” Albus asked, clearly seeing through him. Not that he was trying hard to cover it up.

“Everything’s going messy right now, Albus, and I don’t know what to do. I have no idea what Fletcher was just talking about, but it didn’t sound good, and with Daisy last week and Ana saying people are getting worse with the homophobic comments and I thought people were laying off us even if they didn’t know about the club, but I think it’s getting worse.”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, calm down. What’s going on?”

Scorpius sighed, gathering his thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair, no doubt messing it up. “I think it’s just me and being paranoid, but I’m crumbling and-”

Albus grabbed his hands and pulled them to his chest. “It’s okay, just breathe okay?” So, he did. Scorpius let himself relax, with Albus holding him and collected his breath. When he finally came around, he opened his eyes and felt warm when Albus’ enchanting emerald eyes were staring back.

“Now, talk slowly. What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared I’m failing everyone. I’m scared I’m not protecting them. And Fletcher just made some vague implication and I don’t know what will come of it. And I’m not doing great, Albus. They all think I’m some strong person but I’m not. They all think nothing gets to me, that I’m unwavering when the truth is I am so close to a breakdown right now and I don’t want to let anyone down.”

“Who will you be letting down?”

“What happens when they see I’m not as strong as they think I am?”

“They will see you’re human! They already know you have panic attacks, this isn’t much different. We’re a family, Scorpius. You made sure of that. They’ve got you just as much as you’ve got them. Remember that.”

Scorpius nodded rapidly, falling into Albus’ open arms. He had to bend awkwardly to hug him, burying his head in his neck.

“Okay?” Albus asked against him.

Scorpius vaguely nodded. “Okay,” he breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter is Scorp waiting by Daisy's hospital bed and he is the smollest bean <3 By secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr)  
> If you're loving or hating (though if you hate it I guess you wouldn't have made it this far) please drop a comment and let me know!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> See you all on thursday for the penultimate chapter!


	12. Heavy is the head that wears the crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter! Big thank you to all of you who are still with me!  
> Warning carry over from the previous chapter with an extra one of bullying! Stay safe xoxo

Albus always knew when Scorpius was feeling down or weary. He would never speak about it straight away, not until he had figured it out in his own head. First, he would just request Albus’ presence. Which is why Scorpius was now resting contently on his chest in their hammock.

Albus was just revising for their upcoming potions O.W.L mock in room 3.14 when Scorpius entered, throwing his bag to one side and wrapping his arms around Albus’ neck from behind. Albus had almost immediately understood and closed his textbooks – the mock exam wasn’t for another three weeks anyway – took Scorpius’ hand and led him over to the hammock. Albus settled into it, and Scorpius climbed in, bear hugging Albus and promptly falling asleep like that to Albus running a hand through his soft, silvery locks.

Albus didn’t mind. In fact, he loved having Scorpius dozing softly on his chest. He knew Scorpius struggled to sleep most nights, and that the last few had been particularly bad. If Scorpius felt safe in Albus’ arms, safe enough to sleep, then he would stay like this forever to keep the love of his life safe. Every single day, Albus fell more and more in love with Scorpius. With his vibrant eyes and soft smiles, his effortless laughter and awful puns, his kisses and soft hugs.

“Have you heard the shit they’ve been saying?” Jenny near-shouted as she stumbled into the room, anger flaring in her eyes.

“Shhh,” Albus shushed, gesturing to Scorpius sleeping on him.

Jenny pulled to a halt pretty fast, muttering an apology and tiptoeing the rest of the way over. Other members of the RSS – Lilah, Jake, Sissy, Asa and Emily – made their way over too, curious as to what Jenny was raving about. They all settled on the floor next to the hammock.

“Malfoy’s gang of Death Eaters,” Jenny said. “That’s what they’re calling us.”

“The son of Voldemort forming his own cult. I heard that one earlier,” Asa rolled his eyes.

Albus’ jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

Emily spoke up, “The rumour started this morning. Molly said Fletcher Adams started it, something about how it’s a miracle Scorpius suddenly has friends, and that he must be building a gang to resurrect – or become – the next ‘Dark Lord’ or whatever. He said it’s ironic that Scorpius went back in time, met his father and now suddenly he’s popular.”

“That’s bullshit,” Albus spat.

“Now you see my anger,” Jenny helpfully pointed out. Her face dropped as she caught a look at Scorpius, who stirred on Albus’ chest. “Is he okay, Albus?”

Honestly, Albus had no idea how to answer this question. Yes, Albus could tell when Scorpius was feeling down, but not many others noticed it. He wore his heart on his sleeve, but no one usually cared enough to ask if he was okay. And even though Albus could always tell, it didn’t mean Scorpius would talk. Sometimes, he would. Eventually, he would. But now, Albus only had a small fraction of an idea of what was going through his head.

“I think he’s heard the rumours… they’re just getting to him a bit,” Albus said. It was the most probable explanation. Scorpius most likely knew what was going on, especially with what Fletcher had said to him earlier in the week.

“Let’s forget about that,” Molly interrupted. Albus hadn’t noticed her enter, but she was standing behind the small group sat crossed legged on the floor. “There’s no point dwelling on it, right? We know what we’re about, who cares what other people think?”

Albus shrugged the best he could with Scorpius’ weight on top on him. “She’s got a point.”

“Great, knew you would agree, cousin. Now,” she sat down and crossed her legs too. “If you could choose how to die, how would you?” This had become a thing in the RSS, asking stupid questions and igniting a discussion. It started within the first week as a sort of ice breaker but had carried through and now it was a time-passing activity.

Lilah spoke up, “in my sleep.” There was a bunch of nods of agreements from everyone except Asa, who smiled widely.

“A dragon.”

Albus rolled his eyes. “Obviously you would say that.” Asa beamed at him cheekily. Sometimes Albus forgot how young some people were in the RSS. Asa was only thirteen (though he’d argue that he’s fourteen next month) and Jake, Sissy, Daisy and Ali were even younger. It was baffling, in fact, that Molly was the oldest here, followed by Scorpius, Lilah, Jenny and then, sadly, Albus being the youngest fifth-year.

“Okay, I’m sorry for the younger ones, but if you could only have sex with one person for the rest of your life – dead or otherwise – who would it be?” Molly asked.

“Tom Holland,” Sissy jumped in without hesitation. Albus and Jenny gaped at her, shocked by her quick response despite her young age.

Jenny, however, recovered quickly and said, “Please? Why would you pick Tom Holland when Zendaya is right there?”

Sissy looked as if she was about to protest but thought better of it and shrugged. Jenny grinned at her. “Al?” Jenny asked.

Albus scrunched his nose and pointed at Scorpius, still adorably sleeping and totally oblivious to the conversation. Albus was secretly glad because 1) Scorpius would go shy and bright red at this topic conversation and; 2) they hadn’t actually had sex yet and Albus didn’t want Scorpius thinking he was pushing him into doing something he wasn’t ready for yet. Albus didn’t even know if he was ready yet.

“Obviously,” Albus said. He didn’t even need to think to come up with that answer. The answer would always be Scorpius, no matter what.

“You guys have done it?” Molly asked, clearly pleased by this new development in the conversation.

“What? No,” Albus defended.

Molly slumped, “oh.”

“I told you guys,” Emily said.

Albus went to sit up, before remembering it would be pretty impossible without waking Scorpius. “You guys have been discussing mine and Scorpius’ sex life?” He asked, incredulous.

“Well, we just assumed after you guys were all-” Asa cut himself off to perform a weird gesture with his hands, interlocking his fingers and holding them. “Cuddly… last week that you had sex. According to Molly, that’s how couples always get after their first time,” Asa shrugged.

“But, it turns out you guys are just mush,” Molly said, grinning at Albus. Albus decided it best to leave it and was thankfully saved by the bell that signalled dinner.

Everyone began packing up their belongings as Albus shook Scorpius awake. He felt immensely guilty knowing this would be the best sleep he’s had in a while, and the best sleep he’ll get in a long time. Scorpius stirred, turning his face to bury it against Albus. Albus informed him it was time for dinner to which he mumbled sleepily about not being hungry. Either way, Albus managed to get him up with promises of kisses and he stumbled out the hammock clumsily. Luckily, Jenny was there to stabilise him.

#

The members of the RSS settled at the Slytherin table for dinner that day, joining the other few members who hadn’t been in room 3.14 before dinner. Scorpius rested his head in his hand and closed his eyes, feeling too tired and weary to do anything. Normally, Scorpius was high-functioning, but it seemed today all his energy had been drained out of him.

This usually happened once every few months.

“Scorp?” The sound of his name being called snapped him out of his daze. He hummed in response to Ana who had called him. “You okay? This rumour stuff isn’t bothering you is it?”

Scorpius sighed. It was. It was really bothering him. All throughout his classes all day people had been referring to him as the next Dark Lord, as Voldemort’s son, accusing him of raising an army of Death Eaters and by the time he’d reached room 3.14, he just wanted to cry into his boyfriend’s arms.

But, he wasn’t going to let that show. So, he smiled and said, “No, it’s just rumours, right? I’m good, just tired.”

“Mr. Malfoy?” Scorpius looked up to Headmistress McGonagall eyeing their small group and smiled at her.

“Yes, Professor?”

“I’m really sorry Mr. Malfoy-” Scorpius gulped. Nothing good ever came from those words. “But, I’m afraid in the height of this new rumour, I’m going to have to shut down your club.”

Scorpius’ heart plummeted to the floor. A couple of gasps were emitted from the RSS, but none of them were as shocked as Scorpius. This was just a very bad ending to an already bad day. He shocked himself by not bursting out into tears right there and then and instead standing in a rage.

“What? Professor, you can’t.”

McGonagall looked slightly taken aback. “And why can’t I, Mr. Malfoy?”

“Professor, you know what this club is. You know why I started it. You said yourself I am destined for great things. People are doing what they always do to me. They take something good and manipulate it to make it bad, and they’re making me out to be the bad person as always. But doesn’t doing that make _them_ the bad person instead?” Scorpius stood on the table. “Professor, we’re not bad people. This club isn’t bad. You know that, why are you taking it from us? We want a home, and you’re ripping it apart.”

Albus tugged on his trouser leg, willing him to get down, but Scorpius stood his ground. Molly and Jenny looked upon with pride, and out the corner of his eyes, he could see some of Albus’ cousins smiling at him too.

“Detention, Mr. Malfoy. And get down.”

“Detention?” He spat, incredulous. He heard a snicker from the side of him, and he knew exactly who it belonged to. Fletcher Adams. The person this whole rumour started with. Scorpius squared his shoulders and shot him a dirty look before turning back to McGonagall.

“Does Fletcher Adams get detention for spreading this rumour about me and this club? Does Fletcher Adams get detention for discriminating against me?” He waited for an answer but wasn’t provided with one. “Where’s the justice for us, Professor? These twelve people you see around me are not part of some vicious cult to bring back Voldemort or whatever. These people came looking for a home and found each other. I promised them a safe place and they got that, but what is the point when we’re still not safe in the halls of this castle? When our bullies still roam about as if they own the place, and we’re forced to cower in crevices until it’s safe to come out?”

“Shut the fuck up, Malfoy!” Someone shouted from across the hall. Scorpius ignored them. As did all the teachers, further proving his point.

“Professor, just last week a member of the Red Sparks Society,” – so much for a secret club – “was hospitalised, and for a moment we were terrified she wouldn’t come round.” He saw Daisy hang her head and Albus pull her into a hug. “And now she’s terrified to walk these halls alone. Everyone preaches about what a safe place Hogwarts is, and yeah, maybe dark witches and wizards can’t enter, but what about the bullies you let roam freely? What about their victims that are sometimes scared to get out of bed? What about us, Professor? Is it really a safe place for us?”

“Mr. Malfoy, I appreciate your enthusiasm but-”

“But we can’t have you bringing back Voldemort,” Fletcher interrupted. Scorpius turned and stomped down the table to him, despite Albus trying to get him to come back.

“Why would I want his return?” At this point, other students were starting to come closer to get a peek at the drama.

Fletcher grinned, “don’t you miss daddy?”

“He’s not my dad. Draco Malfoy is my dad.”

Fletcher stood, though he didn’t match Scorpius’ height on the table. “Like that’s much better. He still fought for You-Know-Who.”

“He’s not a Death Eater anymore. And besides, the Malfoy name will end with me, that’s got to count for something.”

The next thing that happened was so fast that Scorpius barely registered it until he was lying on his back with a hand around his throat and a hot pie slammed into his face. Fletcher had tripped him. “Why not kill you sooner, then?”

Scorpius struggled against his grip, feeling the crushing weight against his throat and making him struggle for breath. Scorpius grabbed Fletcher’s hand and squeezed hard between his thumb and finger until he let go with a yelp, then Scorpius swiftly pulled his wand out of his robes and pointed it at him.

“Better wizards than you have tried,” Scorpius spoke. “You do not get to decide when I die.”

“Wand away, Mr. Malfoy,” Professor McGonagall ordered. Scorpius obliged, putting his wand back into his robes and wiping the pie off his face with his sleeve. Scorpius stepped off the table, sending daggers Fletcher’s way as he did. “Both of you, my office, now.”

Scorpius got a glance back at Albus, who looked fairly worried, before he was being lead out the Great Hall with Fletcher by Professor McGonagall and Professor Reus. On the way, Scorpius worked on getting most the pie off his face, but most of it had stuck in his hair, causing it to stick together. He sighed and pushed his hair from his face, looking forward to a shower.

They were lead through the castle up to the Headmistresses office, where she said the password and all four of them made their way up. McGonagall sat at her desk and summoned three chairs for the others. Scorpius sat in the middle, keeping his posture, whereas Fletcher slumped in his chair.

“I honestly expected better from both of you. Mr. Adams, I should take the Quidditch captain title from you right now,” – Fletcher shot up in his chair, ready to protest – “But I won’t.” Scorpius didn’t think that was very fair. If she was taking Scorpius’ club away from him, then she should take Fletcher’s from him. “And I’m reinstating the RSS.”

Scorpius felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

“You’re right, Mr. Malfoy, you are doing good with that club, and in many ways. You know, your members have been getting better grades since its inception?” McGonagall almost seemed proud. Scorpius allowed himself to smile.

“We help each other with homework quite a lot,” he explained, sheepishly. Next to him, Fletcher scoffed. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

“I will be taking fifty points from Slytherin-”

“Fifty?” Fletcher interrupted in disbelief.

“Yes. And you will both be serving detention. Mr. Adams, yours will be tomorrow night at 7, and Mr. Malfoy, Monday evening, same time.”

“I have Quidditch practice tomorrow,” Fletcher protested, whereas Scorpius took his (undeserving) punishment on the chin.

“Tough luck,” McGonagall said. “And I do not want to hear about another bad word come out of your mouth about Scorpius and his club, or to anyone else in this school.”

Fletcher sighed and crossed his arms, falling back into his seat. They waited a while for him to respond, to apologise or _something_ but he remained passive. Scorpius never moved himself, just fiddled with his fingers.

“You may return to dinner,” she said to Fletcher, and he nodded and slumped out. Scorpius hoped he wouldn’t wait for him and beat him up after. McGonagall said nothing about physical violence. “Mr. Malfoy, I truly am sorry, years of teaching at this school and it seems I’ve become passive to how my students are dealing. You all do so well in your studies that it’s hard to remember you are all still just kids.”

Scorpius nodded slowly, averting his eyes to floor. “Thank you, Professor.”

“I will do my best to debunk this rumour, but…”

“Kids are foul and will kick anyone when they’re down? I know, Professor. Five years at Hogwarts and I’ve never been given a break.”

“You’ve done extraordinarily well. In all my years here, I have never seen a club like yours, one that strives to do good, to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Keep it up, Mr. Malfoy. You may go,” Professor McGonagall said, nodded her head towards the door.

Scorpius nodded and stood, disappearing out the door as fast as possible. Even though he hadn’t eaten dinner, Scorpius never went back to the Great Hall. Instead, he went back to the dorm and wasn’t surprised to find it empty. He gathered his shower bag and made his way into the bathroom, choosing the cubicle at the very end and turning up the heat.

It took three lots of shampoo to get the stickiness of the blackberry pie from his hair and two lots of conditioner until he could run his fingers through it smoothly once again. Once it was fully out, Scorpius sat on the cubicle floor and pulled his legs to his chest. And, he did what he’d been wanting to do all day: he cried.

He hugged his legs and let the sobs rack his body, not bothering to stay quiet because no one would be returning to the dorm anytime soon. He cried, and he screamed out all the frustration he felt, all the overwhelming emotions he didn’t know what else to do with. He cried for Daisy and her time in the hospital wing. He cried for all the homophobic comments being sent towards the LGBT members of the group. He cried for them being accused of being Death Eaters. And he cried for himself, drowning in self-pity because he let them down.

He let his family down.

He was supposed to protect them from this sort of thing. He was supposed to make a home for them, not destroy one. His stupid family name and the cruel world’s obsession with making him out to be the bad guy destroyed the purity of the Red Sparks Society.

“Scorp?” Albus’ voice cut through his sobs and the sound of the shower. Scorpius tried to compose himself but failed. It was Albus, it didn’t matter if Albus saw him as a wreck. Footsteps got closer to the shower cubicle, and Albus opened the curtain to see him sat there, curled into a ball and tears stains down his cheeks. Scorpius never looked up, he kept his eyes on the floor as he worked through the end of his sobs.

“Oh, honey,” Albus said, cutting the shower off and grabbing Scorpius’ towel. “Come on,” Albus said, half helping him up as well as wrapping the towel around him at the same time. Scorpius leaned into him as he lead him back to the dorm room, feeling a little weak from his outburst.

Albus kissed his forehead softly before getting some pyjamas out his drawer for him. Scorpius sat on his bed, watching Albus work through his drawers.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius said, mainly because he didn’t know what else to say.

Albus paused and turned to him. “What could you possibly be sorry for?”

Scorpius shrugged. He knew what he wanted to say: sorry for letting everyone down; sorry for fighting; sorry for making you worry; sorry for being so withdrawn; sorry for being so needy; sorry, just sorry. But, nothing came out. Albus handed him a pair of pyjamas and turned his back, giving Scorpius some privacy to get changed.

He did, thankful that Albus didn’t push him. He was so good to him. He always had been. Scorpius truly didn’t deserve him. Albus was kind, innocent, sweet. Without Scorpius, Albus could have run this school. Sometimes, Scorpius didn’t know why he stuck around.

In the beginning of their friendship, Scorpius was sure Albus was just being friends with him to spite his father. He couldn’t understand why a Potter would want to be friends with him. It made no logical sense. So, Scorpius made it make sense. He hadn’t thought about that for a long time, but he still didn’t understand why Albus liked him sometimes. He mostly just accepted that he did. That he loved him.

Once dressed, he found Albus had also changed into his own pyjamas. Scorpius got into bed, despite it still being early, and opened his arms for Albus. Albus beamed and jumped into bed, taking Scorpius up in a hug.

“Did you get it all out?” Albus asked, referring to his clear emotional break. Scorpius hugged him tighter and nodded against him. Albus kissed his cheek, then his nose, and then his lips. Scorpius let himself melt into Albus. He let the feeling of love fulfil him. “I know what you’re thinking,” Albus whispered against his lips, “and you didn’t let anyone down.”

Scorpius kissed him again, letting the words die on his lips. “I love you,” was all he could respond, because right now it was the only thing he could believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing of a grumpy looking Scorp getting ready to defend himself by secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr), thank you!  
> Hope y'all enjoyed my rendition of Scorpius sticking up for himself and the RSS! Let me know!  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> See you on Monday for the final chapter!


	13. A Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER! (I'm early, I know, but I wanted to post it and have no self control AND twitter made me (jokes guys ily)!
> 
> I really hoped everyone enjoyed this, I know I loved writing it because stories about making a family and finding a home are two of my favourite tropes. I thought Albus and Scorpius needed an easier run at school, so I came up with this. Thank you for all the support throughout this! It means a lot! 
> 
> There is a whole discussion about depression and anxiety in this chapter, including self-harm and suicide. It's only talking and no action, but I'm leaving the warning here for you all! I know it's been quite heavy the last few chapters and I hope you're all well and safe xoxo
> 
> Enjoy!

_Scorpius_

_I’ll have to admit I was surprised when I received an owl from Professor McGonagall detailing the reason for your detention. I’m also very surprised that said reason was because you stood on a table and shouted about how the school was an unsafe place for people who are bullied. Any normal father would probably be disappointed you earned yourself a detention, but as we both know, I’ve never been a normal father._

_I’m proud of you, son._

_In a way you did what I couldn’t do twenty years ago: stand up for what I truly believed in. Words cannot describe how proud I am of you for making and leading this club. You truly are a wonder, Scorpius. Your mother would be immensely proud of you._

_Lots of love,_

_Dad xx_

Scorpius smiled to himself as he tucked the letter back into its envelope then away in the top drawer by his desk. He wrote a note for Albus – who was still fast asleep in bed – about where he was off to and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Scorpius slid out of bed, quickly changing into a pair of jeans and one of Albus’ t-shirts, grabbed his bag and slipped out of the common room.

It was Saturday and the corridor was mostly empty as he made his way down to the hospital wing. Most students were still in bed, and those who weren’t were having a mid-morning breakfast in the Great Hall. On the walk, Scorpius checked he had all his books ready for the study session with the RSS in room 3.14 after his therapy session with Healer Tealing.

He walked past a couple of younger students on his way down who, surprisingly, smiled at him. Scorpius returned it politely, and they quickly turned to each other to whisper something. Scorpius ignored it and walked past them, taking another staircase up to the hospital wing.

Scorpius was used to being whispered about. He’d had it his whole life. But this was different. Before, he knew people were talking shit about him. Now, he had no idea if they were talking good or bad… and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever want to know. Scorpius was a people pleaser. He wanted people to like him, simply because he’d never given anyone a reason to _not_ like him. They just didn’t. For as long as he could remember, he’d wanted to change that.

He wasn’t quite sure if he was succeeding or not. It drove him a little crazy.

“Morning, Poppy,” Scorpius greeted as he entered the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was at the bedside of a student still asleep.

“Morning, Scorpius. She’s in my office,” she replied, stopping what she was doing momentarily to send him a warm smile. He thanked her kindly and walked to the back of the wing, where Madame Pomfrey’s office was attached.

He still knocked on the door, even though it wasn’t Healer Tealing’s office. She gave him the all clear to enter and Scorpius did, settling his bag on the floor next to the chair and sitting crossed legged on the armchair.

“Good morning,” Scorpius said, smiling widely.

Healer Tealing smiled warmly, “Good morning. You seem chipper,” she observed.

Scorpius nodded. “I am. I just got a letter from dad telling me he was proud of me. That was nice to hear. I know he is, but you know dad, he can’t always express his emotions well. To hear it – well, read it – it was nice.”

“That’s lovely. And school, how’s that?”

Scorpius faltered. “Fine,” he lied. Healer Tealing gave him a look that said: _I’m not stupid, honey._ Scorpius sighed. “The clubs been exposed. People are accusing me of raising an army of Death Eaters. I have a detention on Monday for sticking up for myself. And I can’t seem to keep a smile on my face for longer than a minute.” Scorpius smiled a big fake smile and said, “Happy?”

“The club being exposed; how does that make you feel?” She asked, ignoring Scorpius’ quip.

“Like a failure. Like I’ve let everyone down.” Scorpius slumped in his chair, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging himself.

“And have you?”

Scorpius walked his fingers along his knees, eager to look anywhere but at the healer’s eyes. “Albus says I haven’t, but… I’ve been kind of avoiding the RSS since it happened. Eating in my dorm, studying in there…”

“Why have you been avoiding them?” She pressed when he faltered.

“Can we talk about something else?”

“I’d much rather stay on topic.”

Scorpius sighed; so much for his good mood. “I’m scared,” he admitted. “What if I really did let them down and now they hate me? I can’t go back to being a social recluse, it will destroy me.”

Scorpius ran a frustrated hand through his hair, resisting the urge to scream out loud. Healer Tealing stayed silent, observing him for a short moment. Watching him lose his cool. The silence was almost as bad as her asking probing questions. Scorpius tapped his fingers on his knees repeatedly, his foot shaking slightly.

She smiled softly and said, “let it out.”

“I’m tired of feeling like a failure!” Scorpius blurted. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping the ends tight. “I’m tired… I’m tired… I’m…” He was breathing hard, trying to control his breathing and stop the tears escaping his eyes.

“Use your words,” she encouraged.

“I don’t want to let people down anymore.” A few tears escaped his eyes, but his hands were busy pulling on his hair to wipe them away. “Everything was fine, and then I do something to mess it all up and it’s always my fault. I’m always the one to get in my own way.”

“How will you know you’ve messed it up if you avoid them all, huh?”

Scorpius pulled his hands from his hair and gave her a brief glance but returning it to his knees. “I guess I don’t.”

“And surely Albus wouldn’t lie to you about that.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. They both knew Albus would never lie to him.

“I guess not,” he admitted. Scorpius pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing slightly.

“Do you want me to tell you what I think?” She asked, kindly. Scorpius looked up and, for the first time that session, held her eyes as he nodded. “I think you need to talk to your friends. You’ve helped them so much, maybe it’s time you let them help you.”

# 

“Let them help you, let them help you,” Scorpius muttered to himself as he drew to a stop in front of room 3.14. All his friends were in there, waiting for him. This would be the first time he’s seen them all together since his explosion in the Great Hall two days ago. This would be the moment that could change everything.

It was all he could think about. What if they no longer wanted to be a part of this club? What if the rumour had gotten into their heads? Scorpius knew exactly how much these kinds of things could mess with you. When the rumour of him being Voldemort’s son circled around constantly, with people calling it him every damned day, he found himself believing it too, sometimes. Before he shook himself and cried for ever betraying his mum’s memory like that. It was hard to forget sometimes. When it’s drilled into your brain over and over like a broken record, who could blame him for giving in to the taunts?

Apart from his mum.

Scorpius shook his head, digging his fingernails into his palms to rid the awful thoughts. He was _not_ Voldemort’s son. He was Draco and Astoria Malfoy’s son. Why was that so hard for everyone else to believe?

Everyone but the people sitting behind that door.

They had accepted Scorpius for who he is. To them, he wasn’t Voldemort’s son, or even a Death Eater’s son. He was just Scorpius. No one – except for Albus – ever looked at him like he was just Scorpius. There was always something behind it. Always. But they gave him a chance and they never judged him, so why was Scorpius doubting their loyalty now?

They’d given him the benefit of the doubt, it was time to give it back. Let them help him.

Scorpius uttered the password to the room and entered, eleven sets of eyes turning to him instantly. They were sat on the carpeted rug by the fire in a circle, an empty space next to Asa ready for him. He half-expected for them to shout him out of the room, but they smiled fondly and waved him over. Scorpius let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

“Hi,” he mumbled, dropping his bag next to Albus’ next to the sofa and eyeing the eleven pairs of shoes in a messy pile. “Do I need to ask for a wardrobe too?” He joked, kicking his own shoes off.

“That would be handy,” Ana replied, receiving a few nods of agreements, mainly from the girls.

Scorpius smiled and rolled his eyes fondly, sitting crossed legged between Asa and Sissy and taking a deep breath.

“We didn’t think you’d come,” Sissy said next to him, eyeing him carefully.

Scorpius looked at her and smiled softly. He reached up to move a strand of her brown hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Why not?”

“You’ve been avoiding us. We’re not stupid, Scorpius.” It sounded like there should have been a bite to Jenny’s tone, but there was nothing but fondness and worry evident in her tone. Scorpius glanced at her and sighed at her forlorn look. He then caught a glimpse of Albus sitting next to her and he smiled at him sweetly.

And that was when Scorpius realised everything would be okay.

That small smile sent ripples through his heart. A single flap of a butterflies wings set off an earthquake in his stomach. With that tiny smile Scorpius felt a world better; like he did whenever Albus looked at him like that. Like he wasn’t broken; like he wasn’t a failure. Scorpius managed a smile back.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, hanging his head. “I don’t have a good excuse for avoiding you. I thought after what happened that you would all hate me and it’s stupid, I know and I’m so sorry. My thoughts are – I – I’m a mess.”

“We forgive you, idiot,” Asa teased, grinning widely. Scorpius returned the smile briefly before it dropped alongside his heart.

“I need to tell you guys something, and I would like for you all to listen before asking questions,” Scorpius said. No one spoke, but they all nodded their heads. A silent gesture for him to continue. Scorpius took a deep breath, searching slowly for the right words to say. “I-” he paused. Another deep breath.

_They won’t look at you differently, Scorpius._

_They love you._

_You protected them. You helped them._

_Let them help you._

“I’m not unbreakable. A lot of you think I’m this brave, strong person who doesn’t get affected by taunts and teases, who fights back at injustice, who sticks up for himself. Truth is… I’m not.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat, searching among the eleven pairs of eyes and settling on the emerald green pair that sent a warmth through him. “I’m honestly scared of what you’ll think of me after I tell you this, how differently you’ll see me. You support each other so well, and I hope you can still support me and still see me as the strong leader you all think I am.

“I… I’m very good at putting on an act. I’m very good at putting on a smile when I don’t feel very smiley. Which is often… because when I was thirteen – shortly after my mum died – I was diagnosed with… depression.” He let the words settle in the group. As promised, no one spoke, but there was a soft gasp that emitted from Jenny.

“And anxiety,” he continued. “Some of you witnessed a panic attack a couple of months ago, those happen at least twice a week, if not more. I’m telling you this because hiding it is getting exhausting for me and the rumours floating around recently are really starting to take their toll.”

“We don’t believe those rumours, Scorpius. We know what we’re about,” Molly assured, and others nodded along with her.

“I know. I was worried I embarrassed you all, or failed you all, or that you were scared of me suddenly, Merlin knows everyone else is.” Scorpius hung his own head.

“But… you seem so…” Daisy trailed off, clearly unsure of where she was going.

“Happy,” Ali finished for her.

Scorpius lifted his head and looked between them. The two youngest in the group. The two most vulnerable. Daisy, who had been bullied so badly she almost lost her life. Ali, a kid who never fit in anywhere no matter how hard he tried. He felt the tears welling in his eyes as he looked at them. The thought of failure swirling around his brain again.

It was like Asa sensed his thoughts because he reached over and took Scorpius’ hand. Sissy did the same thing. Soon, they were all joined together by their hands. Scorpius felt that familiar feeling of home spread through him. He took another shaky breath.

“I failed you all. I can’t protect you. The bad stigma against my name means you are all now associated with Voldemort’s newest Death Eater club.”

“If that’s what we are then that’s what we are,” Ana said, lifting her chin high.

“Huh?”

“Scorpius, you have taught us all that we deserve love and appreciation. That we deserve better than the awful kids in this school. I don’t care what people say about me, I never have. I joined this club for Emily, because she was getting affected by the bullies. And we found a home within all of you, thanks to you, Scorpius. You haven’t failed any of us. We’re a club. We’re a team. We’re a family. If people want to think that we’re some nefarious club… let them. We know what we stand for. Right? The Red Sparks Society. Safe and Compassionate Area for Rallying Against Bullying.”

“DAMN RIGHT!” Jake chanted.

“WOO!” Lilah cried.

“And Scorpius?” Ana continued, looking at him with a small amount of sympathy in her eyes. “I’m glad you came to us with this. I had no idea you suffered like that, you’re always so up and about with a smile. It’s inspiring really,” she smiled softy. Scorpius had a newfound appreciation for Ana. He’d always liked her, there was a fire in her heart that was found in most Slytherins, but she was kind too.

“But like Ali said, you’re always happy,” Sissy spoke up, squeezing his hand slightly.

Scorpius sighed. “My therapist says I’m high functioning. It means I still do my day-to-day activity and possibly even more. I push myself as a coping mechanism, to stop all the thoughts. The act’s easy during the day, not so much at night.” He caught eyes with Albus who deflated slightly.

Albus knew all too well what dangers the night cause. For both of them. Swamped and haunted by nightmares, the night pays tribute to the horrors that fill their mind. The night attacks them, hot and heavy. It plagues them, drowns them, destroys them. And that’s on the days they don’t sleep. Sleep is often hard to come by. And when it does, they are overwhelmed with night terrors. Long, clawing nails. Silver-and-blue hair. Blinding green lights. Silver eyes. Gut-wrenching screams. Stomach-turning cackles. Pain soaring through their bones. Flashes of red. Hufflepuff yellow flags.

The night. Oh how dark and full of horrors it is.

“Do you…” Asa started, then trailed off, clearly rethinking his words.

“Go on,” Scorpius encouraged. “It’s okay.”

“Do you – you know – self-harm?”

Scorpius sighed. The answer to this was easy in his head. No. But the real answer? That was much more complicated. He said no. His therapist said different. She treated him as though he does, gives him therapeutic methods that are better alternatives to self-harm, despite his insistence that he doesn’t. But, he gets where she’s coming from. His methods aren't entirely purposeful, but they are still methods of self-harm. So, therefore, what is the real answer?

“Not… exactly,” Scorpius settled on. Because he didn’t know where else to look, he looked at the floor and played with his hands. “I have never actively self-harmed on purpose, but sometimes…” he sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair before clasping them back together. “Sometimes, I bite down on my lip so hard that it bruises, maybe even bleeds. I don’t even notice that I do it most the time. Sometimes, I’ll curl my fingers into a fist and squeeze so hard my knuckles go white, and I finish with crescent shaped moons on my palms.” As he’d been speaking, he’d also been squeezing. He opened his fists and turned them over to inspect it, and sure enough, there were the crescent shaped moons.

“Sometimes,” he continued. “I run my fingers through my hair and pull hard on the ends.” He looked at Asa. His bright blue eyes were peering into Scorpius’, soft and honest. “But no, I don’t mean too.”

“What about dying? Do you ever think about that?” Jake asked. Jake was sat next to Albus, so he was forced to look between them when he admitted this next part. It would not be easy. Not even Albus knew about this.

“I think about dying every day,” he admitted. Albus winced slightly. “Not in the way you think. I don’t think about killing myself.” He looked deep into Albus’ eyes. “I love too many people to hurt them like that. I think about it in an abstract way. In potions I think, ‘what would happen if this potion exploded on me now?’ In creatures class I think, ‘what if this Hippogriff attacked me?’. On top of a broom I think, ‘what would happen if I fell?’ I know what would happen. I would die. I don’t want that, but it doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.”

There was a long pause. No one knew exactly what to say. Scorpius adjusted his sitting position, curling his knees into his chest and hugging them tight. He couldn’t blame them for their silence. It’s a sensitive subject, a complex one. He was scared, however, that this would be it. That they would officially see him as broken, useless and unworthy.

He wasn’t sure he could cope with that.

Unable to stay sitting without bursting into tears, Scorpius stood and broke the circle. Eyes followed him as he made his way over to the bookshelf – Madame Pince had helped him out there – and ran his fingers along the spines.

He liked books. Always had. Books were his best friend when no one else was. The princes and paupers, the fairies and elves, the hopeless romantics and the heroes of war. They helped him through his childhood. Guided him. Whenever he had a book in his hand, it was like he had one hand holding his best friend, and the other holding the entire world. In books he was free. In books he wasn’t Scorpius Malfoy, he was whatever protagonist he chose to be. He was anyone. He could be anyone. Books didn’t judge him and neither did the characters in it.

He was startled from his thoughts by a soft, gentle tune coming from the group of members still sat on the floor. He turned to face them, an inquisitive look on his face. They were standing now. Asa was holding a small music device, and Emily was holding a speaker.

“I didn’t tell them anything,” Albus started. “But, they knew you were feeling down.” Albus gestured him over. Scorpius obliged.

“We’re glad you could tell us all this about you, and no,” Jenny said, reaching out to him, “it hasn’t changed how any of us see you. You may have depression, but the fact that you tackle every day with a smile on your face even though you want to cry, the fact that you help us all, and you put our well-being before yours every day, well, that makes you even braver and stronger than any of us could even imagine. We knew something was up, we just didn’t know what. So, we arranged this. Operation Cheer Up Scorpius.”

Jenny spread her arms out, gesturing widely to the music and the group of people. Scorpius beamed, amazed at the group of people before him.

“We’re having a singalong,” Emily said. “We all know how much you love Disney, so we put our brilliant minds together and managed to get Asa’s iPod working in the halls of the castle. We downloaded all your favourite songs,” she beamed.

It was then Scorpius recognised the song as one from Beauty and the Beast. He looked between his friends – his family – and all his worries and fears disappeared. They faded from his heart, opening his lungs like the clouds on a warm summers day. How could he ever have doubted the brilliant people in front of him?

This group of people were outstanding. They were intelligent, kind, resourceful, ambitious, brave, unwaveringly loyal. As they stood in a circle, holding each other and singing along to some of the best soundtracks of Disney, Scorpius felt at home. The Manor had never really been a home, especially since his mum. Hogwarts was never a home, especially with the bullies and the rumours.

Here, locked away in a small room on the third floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a room full of twelve people who all needed each other to heal. Here, away from the cruelty of the world was room full of twelve people desperate for love. Here were twelve people who needed attention. They loved each other dearly, they protected each other with everything they had. They fought each other’s battles even when they couldn’t fight their own.

They were loved and in love. They were kind to other’s and soon learned to be kind to themselves. Their broken hearts were healed. Their lungs opened and refreshed. Their arms open and welcoming. These people had learned many valuable lessons. They had learned that life can be hard when the demons you’re running from are the one’s inside your head. They had learned that you can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. They have learned that you can get by with a little help from your friends. They had learned that what people think of you doesn’t matter so long as you have a few people who really care.

So, they had demons. So, they had haters. So, they had rumours and lies. It never mattered when they were together, belting tunes until their lungs hurt and their throats were dry. It didn’t matter when they clung to each other for dear life. People could say what they wanted about the members of The Red Sparks Society, but they could never deny that what they had as a team was special. They built something from scratch and gave it name. They found an old room and made it a home. They formed friendships and made a family.

Tucked away in the room 3.14, they were safe from the horrors of the world. They were safe from the rumours. The lies. The taunts. The teases.

Safe.

Together.

Strong.

And that was exactly what Scorpius wanted to achieve.

And that’s exactly what he got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final installment of art by secretlydreamingofgansey (tumblr) shows the lovely Red Sparks Society in all their glory! I hope you enjoyed meeting all these new characters and an introduction of canon characters not often used!  
> I'd love to here your thoughts either in the comments, or hmu at:  
> Twitter: @sunshinescorp  
> Tumblr: sunshinescorpiusmalfoy
> 
> Thank you all again!


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